Government Ministers have come under fire for using health facilities at a huge cost to taxpayers when they could be using the public hospitals over which they preside.
Even Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele had admitted it is “not a good look” for Cabinet Ministers to not be using public hospitals, saying this suggests a lack of confidence in them, while the pubic wants to know why government hospitals are good enough for millions of taxpayers but not for those in power.
According to the Sunday Times, Gungubele said the government would have to look into these questions. “On the state hospitals, this is a genuine question that keeps on being asked. A number of Ministers do use hospitals, but the question is, at what rate and how?” he said.
“I take the point that public hospitals should derive confidence, particularly by those of us in power … and it doesn’t look good, I agree.”
He pointed out, however, that since President Cyril Ramaphosa came into power Ministers and Deputy Ministers had lost some perks, such as credit cards.
He said Ramaphosa’s commitment when withdrawing the new ministerial handbook was that an independent institution would be reviewing it, as Ministers’ salaries and perks were not determined by the government.
He said the decision to withdraw changes to the ministerial handbook was not necessarily a “change of heart” but a much-needed response to a public outcry.
“There is always a commitment in this government to respect the use of resources. The challenge we face now is how that method has been executed. All the President has said is because there is this outcry, rather an independent institution should do it.
“Whether you call that a change of heart, because English is not my first language, I am not sure. However… the president has responded to the outcry of the public.”
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