Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille is considering referring errant ministers and deputy ministers who are refusing to leave their former homes or move into houses allocated to them to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
A frustrated de Lille wants Ramaphosa’s help to force the perpetrators to comply, City Press reports.
Since the appointment of new executive by Ramaphosa, there’s reportedly been a number of housing issues which have flared up.
In one instance, a minister who had been allocated a house in Cape Town, was shocked to find a cabinet colleague had swooped in and moved into that house, even changing the locks.
In another instance, a former deputy minister has refused to vacate an allocated house, forcing a newly appointed deputy minister to stay in hotels.
The ‘homeless’ deputy minister told the newspaper that staying in hotels was “inconvenient” and amounted to “wasteful expenditure” for their department.
Outlining the process of reshuffling the allocated housing with each new administration, De Lille’s office said that, in the past, members of the executive spent up to six months in hotels.
“People have until the end of July to move out. People are, however, moving at different times. In the process, those who are waiting for the houses to be emptied by non-returning MPs and the executive live in hotels. We are trying to conclude this process by the end of July, where all non-returning MPs and the executive must have moved out so that we save money on hotel accommodation.
“In the past, some ministers had to stay in hotels for up to six months. But, for this administration, we are determined to have every MP and the executive settled in their accommodation that they are entitled to.”
De Lille’s office said respective departments were footing the bill for the hotel stays.
While her office could not account for the cost involved for the other departments, it said that, for the period of June to last month, her department had incurred expenditure of R138 100 for her travel and accommodation in Cape Town and Pretoria.
Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Noxolo Kieviet’s bill was R148 722.
