Riyaz Patel
South African taxpayers are footing the more than R59m bill to maintain former presidents and their deputies since the start of the 2016/17 financial year, the Minister in the Presidency has replied to a question in Parliament.
Jackson Mthembu, responding to a question from DA MP Leon Schreiber, said former president Kgalema Motlanthe racked up the largest bill at just under R17mn.
Motlanthe was president for just under eight months between September 2008 and May 2009 following Thabo Mbeki’s recall.
Mbeki and his spouse have cost taxpayers R13.7m since the 2016/17 financial year.
Jacob Zuma, whose presidency came to an end after his resignation in February 2018, cost taxpayers slightly more than R6.5-million after FW de Klerk’s R5.6m bill.
Baleka Mbete, who was the deputy president under Motlanthe, cost taxpayers around R5.4m while R6.7m was spent on former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Over the last three years, a total of R59 472 109.98 has been spent on travel, accommodation and security for the former first citizens and their deputies.
“I think in the context of the economic crisis that the country is facing, it is actually inappropriate to be spending this much money on these former presidents. The average South African is going through a per capita recession over the last decade. We are getting poorer every day,” Schreiber said.
He added that he would try to find out why taxpayers had to pay more for Motlanthe than other former heads of state.
