It certainly pays to become a Member of Parliament, with some pretty decent wages (all the top dogs HERE) and a lovely living allowance as an added bonus.

Then there’s all the gifts one receives, something we get a little insight into when the joint committee on ethics and members’ interests publishes the 2016 register in which MPs disclose their financial interests.

Many disclosed nothing to the register, but others played things by the book and it makes for decent ogling. These juicy details via City Press:

International Relations and Corporation’s Maite Nkoana-Mashabane declared almost three pages of gifts she received in 2016. You name it, she received it – from bath salts, body butters and mirrors to jars of honey, whiskies, wines, a dress and a fur coat among her long list of declared gifts.

Almost all of them were from ambassadors or embassies, including a custom Pickard China hand-painted platter featuring an image of the White House, which was given to her by the former US president Barack Obama.

That’s the same minister who gave THIS brainfart of an interview to Al Jazeera last year.

One hopes that gift was a faux fur coat, but I guess you never know. Spare a thought for poor old Pravin:

If the number of gifts received is a measure of popularity, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is not as popular as his Cabinet colleagues. He received a gift pack of health soaps and scented candles from Koos Bekker and family, a box of chocolates from Nestle, a bottle of Johnnie Walker and wine, bouquet of flowers, a fruit basket and Iranian culture gifts. But he declared an entire page of shares including at BHP Billiton, Impala Platinum Holdings, SABMiller PLC, Sasol, Naspers, Woolworths and Spar, among many other well-established businesses.

Solid portfolio, crummy gifts.

How about Home Affairs’ Malusi Gigaba?

[He] declared scores of nice things from gold pots, suits, cuff links, bedside lamps to a children’s book and Johnnie Walker Black whisky.

In fact, the Johnnie Walker Black is among the most popular gifts given to South African MPs, with some putting its value at R300, some at R450 and others at R4000.

Lekker suip, but State Security Minister David Mahlobo is all about the bling:

He received a diamond ring, diamond watch, diamond cuff links, a diamond pen and a diamond neck chain worth R28 238 from Saudi Arabia. An “Egypt General” gave him an Asfour Crystal statue (worth about R2000) and a pyramid silver plate worth about R1000.

We must mention Mmusi and his funky dress sense:

The DA leader, who is known for flaunting his happy socks, revealed that he has a six-month socks sponsorship from Nic Harry, whereby three pairs of socks worth R691 are sent to him on a monthly basis. The DA leader was also given a Fabiani suit, shirt and tie valued at R6000.

If the socks are good enough for the leader of the DA maybe you should hop on board too – check out Nic Harry’s sock collection HERE.

In what may come as a surprise to many the EFF’s Julius Malema received no gifts at all in the period under review, although he did disclose that he was a trustee in four trusts.

We’ll finish with these:

Some of the interesting disclosures include a “travel bag from Avbob” which was a gift to Basic Education’s Angie Motshekga.

ANC MP Mandla Mandela, the chief of Mvezo recently accused of building his own Nkandla in Mvezo outside Mthatha, had “nothing to disclose” under the “land and property” section of the register.

Wines, whisky, communication devices, jazz festival tickets and livestock are the most popular gifts to give to MPs, with telecommunications companies proving to be the most generous when it comes to sponsoring MPs.

One of the perks of the job, I guess, although these really are just the tip of the iceberg.

[source:citypress]

Read more: https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2017/02/22/bath-salts-fur-coats-diamonds-and-more-the-gifts-our-mps-were-forced-to-declare-during-2016/#ixzz4cW5z8tL3