JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has withdrawn controversial perks for cabinet ministers and their deputies that saw their homes supplied with free electricity and water.
The benefits caused a public
outcry as they were considered insensitive at a time South Africans are
struggling with daily power cuts and rising cost of living.
In a press briefing on Monday
evening, a spokesman said the president “acknowledges and appreciates the
public sentiments on the matter”.
The ministerial handbook,
which outlines ministerial benefits, will be “aligned to the realities that
many South Africans face”, presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said.
He said the intention behind
the perks was “not a nefarious one”.
“The intention was to try and
find some form of balance between what ministers could afford versus some of
the costs that they have,” he is quoted as saying the by the state news agency.
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