Durban - The clandestine manner in which adjustments were made to the Ministerial Handbook has prompted the DA to approach the office of the Public Protector (PP) to verify whether the document is in line with the country’s laws.
The move follows an uproar from many quarters after it emerged that, as citizens battle to make ends meet amid rising living costs, government ministers and deputy ministers were exempted from paying for services such as water and electricity.
DA Public Service and Administration spokesperson Leon Schreiber said it was time the handbook got discussed openly so the public would know about it.
He added that while the PP’s office had challenges, it was important to give it a chance to interrogate the Ministerial Handbook and determine its merits.
He said they wanted greater oversight exercised regarding it.
“We need a level of transparency so at least everything is done in the open. At the current state, things are just done secretly and that cannot be right,” the DA MP said.
Should the PP confirm that the Ministerial Handbook is unlawful in its entirety, he said, the DA would look for ways of putting an end to it.
“In fact, because there is no law governing the existence of the Handbook, Parliament has no authority to exercise oversight or approve the contents of the Handbook. The president is completely unaccountable for the way he forces taxpayers to fund the ANC gravy train,” said Schreiber.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) called for civic bodies to band together to fight what they regard as a brazen case of abuse.
Outa KZN project manager, Thabile Zuma, said it was a disgrace that senior public representatives appeared to be enjoying themselves while many citizens were living in poverty.
“It will be very important for us as civil society to work together on a matter such as this because it will give us more strength and a bigger voice.
“This action by ministers is uncalled for and out of touch with reality,” said Zuma.
She welcomed the call for the intervention of the Public Protector, adding that this could ensure greater transparency in how the government was conducting its business.
EFF KZN spokesperson Nkululeko Ngubane welcomed the call for the intervention of the PP, saying any intervention to stop the apparent abuse should be applauded.
Attempts to get comment from presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya and Oupa Segalwe from the Office of the Public Protector were unsuccessful.