mrselfdestrukt's Journal: News Flash: R700 000: sometimes a drop goes a long way.

Background info by MrSelfDestruKt:

R700 000 is roughly about 110 000 USD. That is what our new deputy president recently spent on taxpayers money on an overseas holiday. And this while our previous deputy president , Jacob Zuma, still sees himself as deputy president even though he's been charged with corruption and rape. Viva South Africa!

By Jonathan Ancer and Alex Eliseev

What's R700 000? To Murphy Morobe, of the Presidency, it's a drop in the ocean in South Africa's fight against poverty.

For 22 families, it's a roof over their heads for life. And with 2,4 million other families on the RDP waiting list, every house counts.

Morobe posed his question on Tuesday at a meeting in which he attempted to defend Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka's United Arab Emirates (UAE) jaunt at taxpayers' expense.

150 infected people could have received a triple antiretroviral cocktail for a year
According to the department of housing, insufficient funds and logistics are the reasons for the slow delivery. A departmental official explained that delivery needed to improve by about 15 percent to make a dent in the massive backlog.

But with the money spent on Mlambo-Ngcuka's trip, the government could have built 22 RDP houses at a cost of about R30 000 each. With five people making up the average South African family, this means that 100 people could have been housed.

The R700 000 could also have been spent making the country safer by putting 23 entry-level cops on the beat for a year. A constable starting out can earn as little as R2 500 a month. Or 300 bulletproof vests could have been bought for the boys and girls in blue, who're vulnerable to increasingly violent attacks. If the government chose to go the education route, it could have put 14 teachers behind blackboards for a year. Or paid the annual fees of 140 pupils at a government high school, or bought about 10 000 textbooks.

This would have been an investment in the country. The UAE holiday money could have been spent on handing out 700 000 condoms, possibly preventing more people from joining the more than 6-million HIV-positive South Africans.

At least 150 infected people could have received a triple antiretroviral cocktail for a year - or Manto Tshabalala-Msimang could have dished out about 280 000 potato-garlic-beetroot portions.

R700 000 could buy 175 000 loaves of bread
Opposition parties have lodged a complaint against Mlambo-Ngcuka with the public protector, alleging she has violated parliament's ethics regulations. Democratic Alliance spokesperson Gareth Morgan said it was clear that Mlambo-Ngcuka was prone to poor judgment.

According to Morobe, the deputy president has not infringed the law or committed corruption because the state is always obligated to pay for her transport and provide security for her. The fuel alone for the Falcon 900 VIP jet used on the five-day trip cost taxpayers R400 000.

However, based on previous Falcon flights to the Middle East, in which extras such as the crew's salaries and airport taxes were paid, the total cost would have soared to about R700 000. When asked about the cost of the holiday, Morobe said: "She obviously would be concerned, especially when people seek to counterpose the cost of the visit against the needs of people out there... R700 000 is going to be a drop in the ocean when you try to address those needs."

But sometimes a drop goes a long way. The R700 000 could buy 175 000 loaves of bread and with about 25 pieces of bread in a loaf, 4,4 million people could have received a slice each.

However, if the deputy president would prefer that the people eat cake, 40 000 people could get a slice at a coffee bar.