The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the announcement by Minister of Public Works Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde that she has put a halt to the multi-million rand upgrade of the President’s Pretoria residence, Mahlamba Ndlopfu.

However, the Minister’s decision also raises serious concerns about the impact of political influence on the budget process.

The fact that the Minister has now backtracked on the budget allocations for the refurbishment of the President’s Pretoria residence and the Bryntirion estate constitutes an admission by the Zuma administration that the original amounts budgeted for were indeed exorbitant. This calls into question why the Treasury agreed to such allocations in the first place.

The R356 million that was to be spent on the Bryntirion Estate over the next three years is enough to build over 6 500 RDP houses. Such a reckless allocation of funds flies in the face of the sentiment expressed by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in his Budget Speech earlier this year, in which he stressed the need for efficient and effective use of public funds. This serious contradiction raises concerns about whether political pressure was exerted on the Treasury to recklessly allocate public funds to finance the lavish lifestyles of the Zuma executive.

Such irresponsible expenditure highlights the pressing need for the establishment of a presidential portfolio committee. It is imperative that the Presidency is subject to the same degree of oversight as all other government departments. The DA will continue to use all available avenues to push for such a body to be established as a matter of urgency.

I will also be submitting questions to the Minister of Finance to ascertain why the initial budget allocations for the upgrading of the Bryntirion Estate and Mahlamba Ndlopfu were approved by the Treasury.

In a country such as ours, faced with widespread poverty and unemployment, there is no place for the shameless and irresponsible misuse of public funds that the Presidency continues to endorse. If we are to make progress as a nation, decreasing the inefficiency associated with wasteful expenditure is a critical step towards leveraging our resources for maximum gain.