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Deputy Minister of Communications Dina Pule clearly hasn't taken heed of the recent public outcry over ministerial cars. Following in the footsteps of her boss, Siphiwe Nyanda, Pule has bought two brand new vehicles - at a cost of over R1.6-million to the taxpayer. This brings the total amount spent by the Communications Ministry, on vehicles for just two individuals, to R4-million.
The reply to a DA parliamentary question reveals that Deputy Minister Pule purchased:
• a Mercedes Benz GL320 CDI at a cost of R868 000 for the Pretoria office, and
• an Audi Q7 4.2 TDI at a cost of R757 366 for the Cape Town office.
In addition, in response to our question "what accessories were included in excess of the vehicle's purchase price?" the department evasively replied that "the cost of the accessories is included in the vehicle cost." This certainly leaves the impression that, as with Minister Nyanda, Deputy Minister Pule's vehicles have included some extravagant extras. The DA will resubmit this section of the question, to establish whether the Deputy Minister is also wasting thousands of rands on unnecessary extras like rear-seat entertainment, rear-view cameras and satin-chrome finishes. Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda recently did just that - buying two BMW 7 series vehicles, clad with unnecessary extras, at a total cost of R2.4 million. He then, quite remarkably, attempted to claim that they were "the tools" for him "to deliver on his mandate." So the question now needs to be asked: how will these R1.6 million ‘tools' help Ms. Pule deliver on her mandate any better than less expensive vehicles?
The fact that another R1.6-million has been wasted on flashy cars is clear evidence that, in spite of all the ANC's posturing and rhetoric, there is no real commitment to cutting back on wastage and directing funds towards service delivery. In the midst of the global economic crisis, and in spite of the urgent social problems we face, ANC politicians continue to act in a manner that is deeply troubling. And once again, we will no doubt be told that the deputy minister ‘isn't violating any rules'. But that misses the point. The point is that if every government official were to spend as much as they are ‘allowed', government would waste R240-million on vehicles - which is R240-million less to be spent on rolling out basic services, or putting policeman on the streets and doctors in our hospitals. It is time for our public representatives to take personal responsibility for their actions, to stop hiding behind a flawed rule book, and to actually act in the best interests of the South African people. The DA will be adding these costs to the Wasteful Expenditure Monitor. As part of its oversight role as the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA) uses this monitor to demonstrate how often the needs of the ANC elite are put before the needs of o