Housing MPs costs State approximately R100m a year
Over the years parliamentarians have regularly complained about the state of their Cape Town accommodation, from asbestos roofing to poor maintenance and safety.
FILE: Refurbishment after Parliament was gutted by a fire in January 2022. Picture: Supplied
CAPE TOWN - The accommodation of parliamentarians at three housing villages in Cape Town is costing the State around R100 million a year.
This includes costs associated with the properties’ ownership, maintenance and improvements.
The costs have been revealed in a parliamentary reply by Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson in response to a question from the Democratic Alliance (DA).
The party wants to know whether it would not be more prudent for MPs to source their own accommodation while they are on official business in Cape Town.
Over the years parliamentarians have regularly complained about the state of their Cape Town accommodation, from asbestos roofing to poor maintenance and safety.
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In a parliamentary question, the DA's Edwin Bath asked the department whether it would not be better to donate Laboria, Acacia and Pelican Park housing villages, which collectively contain 666 houses in the City of Cape Town to develop into affordable housing.
The department has put the monthly cost of maintenance and improvements to each of these houses at more than R50,000 a month.
Macpherson said MPs don’t pay anything towards the upkeep of their parliamentary homes.
He said no cost-benefit study has been conducted by his department regarding donating the land for affordable housing.
Macpherson said the department has also not looked into whether it would be better to pay MPs an allowance to rent their accommodation.
He said the matter has been referred to the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers and a report is still awaited.