President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered that further cuts be made to the ministerial handbook in an effort to curb spending.

The Sunday Times reports that Ramaphosa has instructed three of his ministers to review aspects of the recently revised handbook and identify areas where cuts can be made.

“The president has assigned the ministers of public service & administration, finance, and public works & infrastructure to identify areas in the Guide on Executive Members, commonly known as the ministerial handbook,” said minister of public service & administration, Senzo Mchunu.

“Areas under review include upper limits on purchasing of cars, tariffs on private vehicles and security upgrades for private residences.”

Mchunu added that other perks may also be changed as the handbook was over 9 years in the making.

Perks

In June, government published its revised guide for members of the executive, effectively replacing the controversial ministerial handbook introduced in 2007.

The new guide covers everything from relocation expenses to cars, with most of the new perks appearing to be largely the same or slightly reined in from the previous ministerial handbook.

This guide also describes the new powers given to finance minister Tito Mboweni to directly curb spending on transport and other luxuries.

Some of the biggest and most notable perks and changes included:

National Members shall be provided with one vehicle for official use in each seat of office. Provincial Members shall be provided with one vehicle for official use;
In the event that an official vehicle is not procured for a member, they may be reimbursed for using their own private vehicle;

Departments may only replace a motor vehicle purchased for a member if the vehicle has reached 120,000 km or 5 years, or if the car experiences serious mechanical problems and is in a poor condition;
National Members and their spouses are also jointly entitled to 30 (thirty) single domestic business class flight tickets per annum;
The state will contribute up to R250,000 in security upgrades to a member’s home;
The ministry of departmental works will be responsible for paying for water and lights as well as employing a domestic worker for these homes;
Rentals for phones (as well as the costs of official calls), the installation and maintenance of fax, internet/wifi and DSTV facilities will be paid for by the department.