Dear Editor,
According to a report on News24, Thabo Mbeki will enjoy the full payments, salary and benefits that he had as President, for the rest of his life... with annual increases.
Love him or hate him, there's no denying that the man was part of a cabinet that helped South Africa to enjoy the longest period of economic prosperity since World War II. That is no small feat considering the Apartheid debt they've had to deal with.
I do not begrudge anyone a comfortable retirement, but considering that millions of people in South Africa live in misery due to poverty, unemployment, crime, corruption and poor service delivery, the extent of Mbeki's golden handshake seems obscene.
Surely this will set an unhealthy precedent? When the next President is elected and eventually stands down, will he/she not expect the same retirement deal as Mbeki - or better? What about the President after that?
Let's take this further: Mbeki, at 60-something years of age, is a relatively young man. The next President might be around the same age, give or take a few years. Naturally, I do not wish illness or death upon anyone, so let's assume that Mbeki will be alive and well by the time our next President steps down and yet another person takes his/her place.
My question is this: given the sheer scale of problems that must be tackled nationwide, along with the costs involved, can South African taxpayers afford to support two or even three ex-Presidents, plus a sitting President, with all the payments, salaries, benefits and annual increases of the scale that Mbeki will enjoy from now on?
If I'm not mistaken, American ex-presidents do not receive such lavish retirement deals, so why is a third world country indulging in this? Even if this is a one-off deal just for Mbeki - a form of compensation - it is nevertheless an exorbitant arrangement.
Saffa
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Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.