Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa has confirmed that the National Police Commissioner's accommodation cost the public R3.7 million. He said further that he had not approved the purchase of this accommodation, and that "this [is] the responsibility of Department's Accounting Officer guided by the policies in place in the Department". According to the 2009/10 SAPS annual report, the SAPS Department's Accounting Officer is none other than Bheki Cele himself. 

This could indeed be a conflict of interest, if in fact Bheki Cele signed off on his own luxury accommodation. The Accounting Officer (the National Commissioner in the SAPS, the equivalent of the Director-General in other departments), is primarily responsible for the sound financial conduct and administration of a department. In principle, he or she is responsible for ensuring the public money is best spent, excess curbed and priority programmes properly funded. In this sense the Accounting Officer acts as a check and balance against poor administration.

No properly run institution regulates itself. That is the purpose behind oversight. The very point of a check or balance is to counter the impulses of others. You cannot thus have a situation where the Accounting Officer regulates his or her own personal expenditure. It runs against best practice. If that person has exorbitant and lavish tastes, like many of the SAPS leadership seem to have, it is a bit like putting King Herod in charge of a crèche. And, the result is expenditure such as this.

R4 million is an exorbitant amount that could have been better used towards resourcing the police. Lavish living quarters for the Commissioner do little to aid the fight against crime. 

 On 13 September, I wrote to the Public Service Commission, asking them to investigate this matter. I asked the Public Service to investigate:

1. Whether, in fact, there is a provision which allows public money to be spent on senior managers and on purchasing property for senior managers that are not members of the executive. 

2. Whether the reported R4million is legally and ethically appropriate. I believe that this expenditure is exorbitant, excessive and self-indulgent. 

3. For what reasons this property was purchased, when there already exist a number of residences in which the National Police Commissioner could live.

4. Whether the more than a million Rand reportedly spent on furniture for the Commissioner's accommodation went out to tender. I believe that this should be investigated, as well as the exorbitant amount of money spent on said furniture. 

I shall now be sending a follow up letter to the Public Service Commission to include a possible conflict of interest to the long list of seeming irregularities that need to be investigated. 

A breakdown of the Department's wasteful expenditure follows:

• BMW X5 3.0D - Bought by Minister Nathi Mthethwa - Cost: R 685 091.00 - The price includes extras, such as reverse cameras; navigation system; sport suspension; sunroof; and electric seat adjustment.
• BMW X5 3.0D - Bought by Minister Nathi Mthethwa - Cost: R 677 270.00 - The price includes extras, such as reverse cameras; navigation system; sport suspension; sunroof; and electric seat adjustment
• BMW 740i - Bought by Deputy Minister Fikile Mbalula - Cost: R 832 700.00 - The price includes extras, to the value of R35 800.00, including a rear view camera, ceramic surround for controls, ambient interior lighting, adaptive headlights, high beam assist, lane departure warning and lane change warning.
• Mercedes-Benz ML500 - Bought by Deputy Minister Fikile Mbalula - Cost: R 759 529.00 - The price includes extras, to the value of R48 079.00, which included an off road package, media interface, privacy glass, multi-contour seat package and ext. spare wheel carrier
• 66 days at the Table Bay Hotel - Departmental officials benefiting: Minister Nathi Mthethwa and eight officials - Cost: R 234 875.67 - The hotel offers five star accommodation. The Minister stayed in the Presidential Suite for one night and four body guards in luxury rooms for four nights.
• Intermittent residence at the Durban Hilton Hotel - Departmental officials benefiting: Minister Nathi Mthethwa and various officials -
Cost: R 570 000.00 - The hotel offers five star accommodation.
• A new 'official residence' - Departmental officials benefiting: National police commissioner Bheki Cele - Cost: R 3. 7 million including renovations- According to reports, several less luxurious official residences were available in Silverton. 
• Billboards with giant photos of the Minister - Departmental official involved: Minister Nathi Mthethwa - Cost: R 315 000.00 - 10 billboards across South Africa which display photos of the Minister's face and the words, "Come Fifa 2010 World Cup. We are ready"
• Furnishing for National Commissioner's 'official residence'- Cost: R1, 2 million
• Rivoningo Magazine - Cost: R14.9 million - 50 000 copies per quarter over 21 months, at an average cost of R37 per magazine.