• Tweet

Minister Bathabile Dlamini

 Minister Dlamini has a preference for five and six star establishments 

RELATED ARTICLES

• Answer about Sisulu's jet use is withdrawn
• Stand up and fight against corruption, urges Chikane
• Wanted: Retired social workers
• Government reappoints jailed crook
• R10bn social grants tender illegal - High Court
• Grants tender will stand
• Slow pace of transformation causing unrest in SA
• SA's gloomy scenario
• 'SA democracy is a nightmare'

Democratic Alliance social development spokesman Mike Waters said in a statement that Dlamini spent 145 nights in luxury hotels.  

However, the minister’s spokeswoman Lumka Oliphant said the expenditure was a necessary part of her job.  

“The very nature of the minister’s work is working with the poor, who are in very rural areas of the country which require her to be constantly out of the office together with her staff.” 

Waters said the information was recently received in response to a Promotion of Access to Information Act application submitted more than a year ago.  

“The detailed invoices received by the DA shows that Minister Dlamini has a preference for five and six star establishments such as the Radisson Blu and One and Only Hotels in Cape Town, the Hilton in Durban and Intercontinental Sandton Towers Hotel.” 

Waters said he would submit parliamentary questions asking in which city Dlamini’s official residence was located. 

“If the minister has an official residence in the cities where she spent so much time in luxury hotels, I will ask the Public Protector to investigate Minister Dlamini for wasteful expenditure...” 

Oliphant responded: “It is mischievous of the DA to call the Minister’s stay at the hotels ’a spending spree’”.

The department’s policy provided for staff members to stay at four star hotels, while the minister was entitled to a five star hotel stay.

“It would be best if the DA compared the minister’s work with the work she does outside the office and Parliament trying to reach the poorest of the poor of this country,” she said.  

She noted that the DA had not asked what Dlamini was doing on the dates she was staying in the hotels.  

Dlamini did more Public Participation Programmes (PPP) than any other present Cabinet minister, said Oliphant.   While she was required to do 10 PPPs each year, Dlamini did more than five times that, she said.   This was in addition to her work on international organisations such as the United Nations’ International Advisory Group on Aids, which she co-chairs.  

“... The DA has deliberately chosen to trivialise this sterling effort aimed at alleviating the plight of our people simply because it chooses expediency of cheap political point-scoring,” Oliphant said. 

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Tue May 21 19:17:32 SAST 2013 ::

Dec 10, 2012

!#Sinudeity#!

"Helping the poor" but staying in 5 and 6 star hotels while doing so. Spending R700,000 in the process.
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

Lord-Have-Mercy

Not even reaching a million since 2009. Thanks to the Minister.
Hellen Zille is like a cry baby that often drops her dummy from her mouth.
she does not wanna grow up.
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

!#Sinudeity#!

Lord-Have-Mercy - Did you read the links about the R500mill that the KZN government spent to build apartheid-style toilets for the people?
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

Skomoro99

I have always wondered how this minister became a minister in the first place,this woman never talks sense every time she is interviewed.This is one dumb minister in the entire cabinet n i blame the dumb president who put her there.In the absence of the best,the worst (aka Bathabilie Dlamini) become the best with no clue on the mandate at hand.
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

MSG_S

The minister's spokeswoman Lumka Olipfhant said:
The very nature of the minister’s work is working with the poor, who are in very rural areas of the country which require her to be constantly out of the office...........
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


I didn't know that rural areas have so f@cking expensive hotels, much much more than city hotels.
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

MSG_S

Lumka Olifhant said
“The very nature of the minister’s work is working with the poor, who are in very rural areas of the country which require her to be constantly out of the office .....
=================================================================

I didn't know that rural areas have so F##cking expensive hotels. Much much more than 5 star hotels from the cities.
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

Mbeki_2

I hope the poorest of the poor know that she was thinking of them while she stayed in 5-star luxurys and eating lobster and champagne (French must be)???? Come on 2014 - I'm kicking this minister out. Looking toward voting for opposition parties.
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

child4real

Yoh'' thanks to the DA we would be knowing these money spending spree's that the governent is doing, I think we should just let the DA rule this country, well proven the anc is pap.
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

MsKinkyakaKamaSutra

A ko moshebe, le molom) ekare mpapa ya tonki
Report Abuse

Dec 10, 2012

Tango

She is a good Minister, its just that da ya phapha.
Report Abuse

Read all 21 comments