Luxury homes allocated to ministers and deputy ministers will be inspected because of theft and extensive damage at some of the properties.
Business Day has learnt that some of the homes were left in a deplorable state. In one of the properties nine carpets were ripped up and in another the new occupant had to deal with the remnants of a taxi rank operating from the state-owned house.
“A number of properties have been left in an awful condition by previous ministers and deputies,” public works minister Dean Macpherson told Business Day. “We’ve had items stolen and pure destruction in [some] cases,”
Macpherson said he was disappointed by the example set by some of SA’s leaders.
“I am looking at how to have an incoming inspection and outgoing [one], so we hold people financially liable for damages,” said Macpherson.
There are 97 state-allocated homes around the country. The homes in Cape Town are worth almost R830m, and those in Pretoria are valued at R137m.
Members of cabinet are entitled to these houses in terms of the ministerial handbook, which also provides them with freebies, including four luxury vehicles each, VIP protection and international travel perks.
It is accepted global practice for top government leaders such as presidents, deputy presidents and prime ministers to occupy official residences, which are often located in heritage buildings or estates.
But opposition parties, including the DA, have previously questioned why ANC ministers, who presided over the collapse of public services and government departments, should “live like rockstars”.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.