Haniff Hoosen, the ID Spokesperson for Police has slammed the Department over its plan to buy a R3.3 million house for Police Commissioner Bheki Cele, calling this ‘yet another slap in the face for poor and ordinary South Africans.

‘The Police Department appears to be far more serious about its ongoing shopping spree than it is about the fight against rampant crime in our country,’ Mr Hoosen says.

Because the Department is refusing to disclose the exact price of the property the ID MP has now submitted a parliamentary question to Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa requesting details about and reasons for the planned purchase.

‘The way this Department is squandering money on luxury cars, houses and five-star hotel stays, the ID hopes there will be enough money left for resources for our police on patrol,’ says Hoosen, referring to the Minister’s two luxury vehicles that cost R1.3m and his Deputy-Ministers R1.6m splurge on his own set of wheels.

The ID MP this week submitted a formal request to the Public Protector to investigate the Minister’s more than R700 000 stays in two five-star hotels in Durban and Cape Town.

‘Once again the Department is being cruelly insensitive to the plight of not only our police officers, but also the millions of our people that regularly go to bed with empty stomachs,’ Hoosen says.

‘Again the ANC Government is saying one thing, but doing something completely different - while President Zuma has called on them to tighten their belts, he does nothing when some of his Ministers and Departments spend like gangsters.’

For media enquiries please call Haniff Hoosen on 084 2000 460