There is still no official explanation why Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda continues to spend time in one of Cape Town's most luxurious hotels at public expense, even though his official residence is ready for him.Nyanda has apparently not spent a single night in his plush residence in upper Claremont since he was appointed minister last May.
His stay at The Twelve Apostles and Mount Nelson hotels is costing the public purse a minimum of R4 000 a night.
The Mail & Guardian reported last Friday that Nyanda stays in the hotels an average of four nights when he visits Cape Town to attend Parliament.
If he attended all National Assembly and special sittings since taking office, he would have spent 88 nights in Cape hotels, the report said.
According to the report, Nyanda ran up a bill of R33 330 between February 6 and 12 for accommodation, food, mini-bar and laundry services at the Twelve Apostles.
From February 14 to 19, the hotel billed Nyanda R21 417 for four nights' accommodation and food.
Several days after the report appeared, a Cape Times reporter spotted Nyanda leaving the Mount Nelson and asked his office and the Public Works Department for an explanation.
Said department spokesman Lucky Mochalibane: "A house was made available to (Nyanda) and it has been ready."
Mochalibane referred questions about why Nyanda has not moved into his official house to the Communications Department.
He and a second Public Works spokesman, Thamsanqa Mchunu, failed to answer further questions related to the readiness of Nyanda's house.
A string of phone calls were made and e-mails sent, but the two did not respond, despite promises by Mochalibane to answer questions on Thursday.
But Public Works was contradicted by Nyanda's spokesman, Tiyani Rikhotso.
He told the Cape Times Nyanda had been living in hotels because his ministerial mansion was not ready for him to move into.
"The Minister of Communications has been staying in hotels only because the house allocated to him by the Department of Public Works was not ready for occupation."
Ignoring questions including how long Nyanda has been staying in hotels and how much the taxpayer was forking out to foot his hotel bills, Rikhotso said there was a distinction between a house being allocated and it being ready for immediate use.
"The minister will only move into the house once it is ready for occupation," said Rikhotso.
Meanwhile, DA MP Lindiwe Mazibuko has submitted parliamentary questions to determine how much Nyanda's stay at the two hotels was costing the taxpayer.
"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," said Mazibuko in a statement.
Last year, Nyanda was criticised for buying two luxury German cars at taxpayers' expense, each worth well over R1 million.
Last month, the Congress of the People asked the Public Protector to investigate contracts signed between government departments and private sector risk advisory company General Siphiwe Nyanda Security.
- Cape Times
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