A row has erupted in South Africa after it emerged taxpayers are spending more than 15.5 million rand (US$2.1 million) a year to support South African President Jacob Zuma’s three wives and some of his 20 children.
The figure, almost double the presidential spousal budget a year ago, was condemned as “exorbitant” by the opposition leader, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, who said the size of Zuma’s family “makes corruption almost inevitable.”
This prompted a sharp riposte from the governing African National Congress (ANC), which accused Zille, who is white, of “cultural intolerance.” Zuma is a member of the Zulu tribe, in which polygamy is a traditional practice.
In a written answer to a parliamentary question on Tuesday, Collins Chabane, a minister charged with monitoring government performance, said the state had a 15.5 million rand budget for Zuma’s family this year. This compares with the spousal support office budget of 4.5 million rand in 2005-2006 and 8 million rand in 2008-2009.
The spousal office paid for personal support staff, such as secretaries and researchers, as well as domestic and international air travel and accommodation, Chabane said.
Cell phones for spouses and their secretaries, laptops and printers and a special daily allowance for “incidental” expenses were also covered.
“The state provides all reasonable administrative, logistical and other support to the spouses to enable them to meet these responsibilities in a manner that permits them actively to pursue their own careers and interests if they so desire,” he said.
Thobeka Zuma was engaged in community work related to health, Sizakele Zuma was dealing with agriculture and food security, while Nompumelelo Zuma was working with orphans and vulnerable children, he added.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS