The Democratic Alliance (DA) will today submit parliamentary questions to determine at what cost to the public purse the Minister of Communications, Siphiwe Nyanda, has been allegedly staying at luxury hotels in Cape Town despite having an official residence there.

The Mail & Guardian today reported that since taking office last year, Minister Nyanda has not been staying at his ministerial residence, but has instead made use of luxurious five-star hotels such as Mount Nelson and the Twelve Apostles in Cape Town for his accommodation, where rooms cost anywhere between R4 000 and R11 095 a night.

Since it is unclear exactly how much has been spent on luxury hotels for the Minister since he assumed office in May last year, we will be asking parliamentary questions to establish this.

This allegation is the latest in a series of acts of frivolous expenditure at the hands of ANC government ministers. Last year, for instance, the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, booked into the luxurious Hilton Hotel along with members of his VIP Protection Unit at a cost of R578 499. He also spent R234 000 on a luxury stay at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town.

The DA's wasteful expenditure monitor of ANC government spending currently stands at R606-million, largely due to the purchase of luxury vehicles for cabinet ministers and their deputies, luxurious hotel stays and lavish parties held by national government departments. Minister Nyanda, having acquired the most expensive ministerial car to date at the expense of the struggling South African taxpayer, is no stranger to this controversy.

The South African public cannot be expected to continue footing the bill for the ANC government's taste for big spending - particularly while millions of our people continue to live in abject poverty.