Cape Town — The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Dean MacPherson was elected as the new Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and hopes to limit the number of luxuries afforded to executives and Members of Parliament (MP).
MacPherson was sworn in as one of six DA members to earn a ministerial position and he wants to tighten the screws on excessive offices and properties, and executives and MPs will have to make do with the current state of affairs, IOL reported.
He said all allocations will be made from existing state properties and there will not be spending on existing properties, while no new office rentals will be entertained either.
“As the Department responsible for the accommodation of the Executive and Members of Parliament, we will house all members from the available properties of the State. We will not rent or lease any accommodation or office space. Those days are over,” Macpherson said.
“The Department has confirmed to me that there is enough available stock to meet the needs of both the Executive and Members of Parliament.“ he added.
Newly-appointed Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson says there’ll be no procuring of any new housing stock or offices for both the executive and parliamentarians. Macpherson says the department’s asset register is not desirable as it should be. He says… pic.twitter.com/vLsA4xwgir
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 4, 2024
According to The Citizen, Macpherson is said to have already met with his deputy Sihle Zikalala, and Director-General Sifiso Mdakane before the declaration. The DA, while the opposition, had longed to know the property values of ministers, and had pushed Patricia De Lille to reveal the values.
In February 2023, De Lille revealed that the properties housing ministers averaged roughly R10 million each. She also revealed in June 2022 that the government had over 3 000 unused properties. MacPherson wants to avoid unnecessary spending and tighten the grips on exorbitant spending.
“We have listened to the message of the citizens about being prudent with the public purse, to cut down on perks and invest more in creating jobs and growing the economy,” he added.
Concluding, he said, “My number one priority is to invest in infrastructure and turn South Africa into a massive construction site under the theme #LetsBuildSA.”
Today I had the opportunity to meet the executive team at the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. I am really excited to work with them to drive our vision forward to turn South Africa into a massive construction site that grows the economy to create jobs. A lot of… pic.twitter.com/41IvDSVTZt
— Dean Macpherson MP (@DeanMacpherson) July 5, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
