Defence minister Angie Motshekga said that the unit provided medical assistance to current and former heads of state and deputy presidents, as well as the serving minister of defence and visiting heads of state as directed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Taxpayers have paid almost R500 million in emergency and non-emergency medical care for current and former presidents, deputy presidents and the minister of defence from the 2019/20 financial year to the end of July 2024.
The cost of the presidential medical care was disclosed in a written response from defence minister Angie Motshekga to questions posed by DA spokesperson for defence Chris Hattingh in Parliament.
The department of defence’s presidential medical unit is responsible for the medical care of the top brass and spent R472.7m over the past five years.
The questions around the cost of the medical upkeep of the high level politicians come as the SANDF, Navy and Air Force are faced with a lack of resources due to budget constraints.
In her response, Motshekga said that in 2019/20, the medical expenditure totalled R80m, in 2020/21 it was R67m, R88m in 2021/22, R92m in 2022/23, and R97m in 2023/24.
Motshekga said that the unit provided medical assistance to current and former heads of state and deputy presidents, as well as the serving minister of defence and visiting heads of state as directed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
The presidential medical unit has covered the health-care needs of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy Paul Mashatile as well as former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma and past deputy presidents Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Baleka Mbete, Kgalema Motlanthe and David Mabuza.
Hattingh said he would use further parliamentary question opportunities to ask if the unit provided medical assistance to the dependants of the deputy presidents and presidents.
“What was intended to be emergency medical services has now become comprehensive medical support, apparently ranging from cold and flu to hip replacement.”
Hattingh said he believed that this budget has gone beyond what was originally envisaged with the medical support for the president and his deputy when they travel.
“We have this red carpet treatment, for all these people, even the president, who is covered by medical aid. Yes, there must be emergency medical care for the president and for the deputy president but there is medical aid sufficiently provided for the previous presidents.
“We have spent half a billion for the period on which I asked the question, half a billion on a few people's medical and emergency support,” Hattingh said.
Build One South Africa movement leader Mmusi Maimane said Parliament needed to have mechanisms in place to ensure there was accountability in how defence funds were being spent.
“No one can argue against the president having world class health care when needed but there are challenges when it comes to the oversight over all the others who are benefiting.
“These are public funds that are being used and Parliament must be able to hold the department accountable.”
Lerato Ngobeni, ActionSA’s Chief Whip in Parliament, said they had raised concern over the country’s inequitable health-care system “where politicians are privileged with exclusive access to private healthcare paid for by taxpayers”.
“In this unjust structure, it is unacceptable that the President, Deputy President, and Defence Minister continue to receive non-emergency care from a military already strained by chronic underfunding.”
She said Parliament should begin working to overhaul the Ministerial Handbook to reduce the “billion-rand-plus burden on taxpayers for the upkeep of a select few politicians”.
“This includes cutting back on VIP protection, free water and electricity, and health-care benefits.”
The Mercury