DA Lashes Out at the Department of Electricity's R13 Million Salary Cost, Mzansi Says People Need to be Paid

• The Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and his staff members will cost South African taxpayers a pretty penny annually
• It has been revealed that the minster will earn over R2.4 million annually and the total cost of salaries in the 12-people department will be R13 million
• Some South Africans see nothing wrong with the salaries of the minister and his staff because laodshedding has eased since his appointment

CAPE TOWN - Members of Parliament discovered this week that the Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and his staff cost South African taxpayers a whopping R13 million annually.

This comes after the Democratic Alliance (DA) asked the Department of Electricity for a breakdown of their salaries.

Minister of Electricity's salary sits at R2.4 million per year

According to The Citizen, Ramakgopa's yearly salary is predicted to cost over R2.4 million. Two of his advisors, Sarel Jacobs de la Rouviere and Silas Mzingeli Zimu, are expected to earn R2.1 million each annually.

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The lowest-earning staff members in the Department of Electricity will reportedly earn R424 000 per year. There is a total of 12 people working in the Department of Electricity.

DA lashes out at the Minister of Electricity's earnings

Ramakgopa has been on the ministerial payroll since his appointment in March 2023. However, his duties were only finalised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in May 2023.

DA MP Samantha Graham-Mare stated that in the three months Ramakgopa was appointed without official duties, he earned about R178 311 per month and received full ministerial perks.

Graham-Mare also lashed out by saying that Ramakgopa and his staff cost taxpayers R3 million in those three months and had nothing to show for it except for expensive sightseeing visits and luxury clothing, reports TimesLIVE.

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The DA MP also stated that the minister's appointment clearly indicated cadre deployment by the African National Congress(ANC). Graham-Mare added that Ramakgopa has nothing to show for his time in office because loadsheddig continues to plague the country.

South Africans react to the cost of the Department of Electricity

@Steville_1982 said:

"Seems like Kgosientsho and his staff might be the only ones who won't experience load shedding in South Africa! Wow, that's quite a cost to the taxpayers. It makes me wonder what could be done with that money if it wasn't spent on salaries."

@lukheleomega said:

"We should give them bonuses if they move us to Stage 1 by September or even November."

@tsrapman1 said:

"That guy is trying his best, so-called energy experts had predicted that this winterl energy demand will cause the greed to collapse, some predicted stage 10-12 but here we are lights are still on and we are still going through the regular loadshedding stages."

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@costakonti1 said:

"Pay him or anyone 5x if they solve the problem, and don’t let it ever happen again!"

@Irvin_KK said:

"Give the guy a break it's only 2 half months already, but you blaming him for a whole year's salary, which one?"

@divinescienceo1 said:

"How much did they fork out during Andre De "Shakespeare's" tenure at Eskom? At least he is doing something that's why you can comfortably publish nonsense without being in the dark for half of the day."

@aaron_mokabane said:

"DA does not understand accountability. Their condescending and dismissive attitude is repelling."

Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa winning over Mzansi after asking important question

Briefly News previously reported that South Africans shared their thoughts about the minister of electricity. Due to mismanagement at Eskom, Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa was appointed to deal with the loadshedding crisis.

A Twitter video of the new minister talking about the power crisis caused a buzz. Some South Africans thought that the newly appointed electricity minister was showing promise as someone who could help with the situation.

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A post by @pmcafrica had people showing support for the minister of electricity. The minister shared some of his concerns about fixing the energy crisis in South Africa.

Source: Briefly News