23 October 2009

The IFP Spokesperson on Police, Velaphi Ndlovu, said today that his party is calling on President Jacob Zuma to urgently put in place policy that will prevent Ministers and senior government officials wasting millions of taxpayers' money on luxuries.

Ndlovu was responding to news that the government is in the process of spending nearly R3.4m on a house in an upmarket Pretoria suburb for the national police chief, Commissioner Bheki Cele. According to sources, several less luxurious official residences were available in Silverton, but these were not to Cele's liking.

"While millions of South Africans go to bed hungry each night and without decent shelter, Commissioner Bheki Cele and the Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa are spending millions of taxpayers' money on extravagant homes and luxury stays at five star hotels. This is absolutely disgraceful and immoral and flies in the face of the ANC's motto that they are a party that cares for the poorest of the poor,"  said Ndlovu.

The IFP is now calling for urgent action to be taken to stop government departments from wasting more money.

"We know that our policemen and women earn pitiful wages while they are often not equipped with the basic tools to fight crime. We are now urging the President to put forward policy that will force departments to spend their budgets on achieving their mandates and not on unnecessary luxuries," added Ndlovu.

Contact: Velaphi Ndlovu, 083 625 0803.