Haniff Hoosen, the ID spokesperson for safety and security, has reacted with shock to the revelation that Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and 8 police officials spent almost R250 000 staying at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town earlier this year.

In a reply to a parliamentary question, the minister wrote that his stay was necessary based on the fact that renovations were being carried out at his ministerial residence.

‘This is just another example of the harsh reality of personal greed behind the charm offensive of the current ANC Government. Wasting this kind of money on a lavish lifestyle has come to characterize the ANC over the past decade or more,’ Mr Hoosen says.

‘It is a matter of days after each election before the ANC’s leaders forget about the poor who elected them to their positions in the first place.

‘It is shocking and absolutely disgraceful that a minister can spend such a huge amount of money on five-star accommodation when millions of South Africans are caught in a daily struggle for survival,’ says Hoosen.

‘What kind of example is Mthethwa setting? The excuse that his official residence is under renovations is particularly feeble because there are many vacant houses in Acacia Parliamentary Village that he could have stayed in temporarily.

The ID Secretary-General also slammed the minister for spending almost R6 000 on drinks in just 17 days, saying ‘this is a fine example to be setting for our people.

‘We call on the minister to do the honourable thing and pay back the money so that these desperately needed funds can be used to fight crime in our country. If he fails to do this he will be no different from that plastic communist Blade Nzimande.’

For media enquiries, please call Haniff Hoosen on 084 200 0460