Curtains for the poor: ministers get silk drapes, while Chatsworth gets leaking roofs

IN A REPLY to my parliamentary question, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean William Macpherson admitted that the Government of National Unity (GNU) had spent R10.3 million since April 2024 maintaining ministerial residences.

- VISVIN REDDY

That's right: while the country groans under unemployment, power cuts, and a collapsing water system, someone is signing off invoices for R143 000 curtains and R54 000 curtain rails.

And where does this leave Phoenix, Chatsworth, and the thousands living in government-owned rental flats? In the gutters, literally.

Two South Africas - one curtain rail apart

On one side, you have the Bryntirion and Groote Schuur estates - manicured lawns, fresh paint, gates that open and close like a charm, and emergency generators humming through load shedding.

On the other, you have Bayview and Westcliff - flats with crumbling walls, burst water pipes, mould on the ceilings, and no fire safety equipment.

The irony? These flats aren't free. Residents collectively owe R37.5 million in arrears.

And yet, what do they get for their money? Rusted taps, peeling paint, a prayer that the roof won't cave in during the next rainstorm. Ministers get luxury maintenance on demand.

Tenants get told to "be patient" until the next budget cycle.

Curtains versus ceilings: a national morality test