One can liken it to a piece of string, you just never know if or when it’s going to end – and just how much more the country can take. The amount of self-enrichment in government is being taken to new heights but as Ed Herbst commented, it’s been a trend from pre-1994. And it’s a trend that looks set to continue. What’s the saying – the more things change, the more they stay the same – a very sad state of affairs. And while the minister of social development has refused to comment on the R11 000 she ‘paid’ to stay at a hotel in Umhlanga over the weekend. Sources close to the matter have confirmed otherwise. And the contradiction in all of this, this is the very same Dlamini that expects South Africans to live on a mere R753 a month. – Stuart Lowman
By Amanda Khoza
Durban – While Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini would not be drawn into answering questions about allegations that she stayed at the luxurious Oyster Box in Umhlanga on Sunday at a cost of R11 000, News24 has independently confirmed that she did.
“Yes, she did stay there last night [Sunday] and paid R11 000,” a well-placed source told News24 on Monday night.
On Monday, DA spokesperson on social development, Bridget Masango, alleged in a statement that Dlamini had spent the night in an ocean-facing suite after attending the KwaZulu-Natal ANC manifesto launch in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.
The DA criticised the minister, saying that, through a DA parliamentary question, Dlamini had recently claimed that R753 was sufficient for social grant beneficiaries.
“This hotel stay makes it clear that she herself could not survive on the R753 she expects millions of South Africans to live on from month to month,” said Masango.
The party alleged that Dlamini stayed over at the hotel with two other ANC members.
A better life for @MYANC fat cats like Zuma and Bathabile Dlamini, and just R753 for the poor… ANC moving us forward…
— Justice4All (@Unathi_Kwaza) June 12, 2016
‘DA corridor gossip’
“The DA will be submitting parliamentary questions to ascertain the reasons for Minister Dlamini’s expensive stay. Who accompanied her? And the reasons for their attendance? And who footed the bill for this stay?”
Masango said the DA had launched its petition for an increase in social grants.
Dlamini did not respond to News24’s questions.
Her spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said the minister would not entertain gossip.
“The Minister will not be dragged into DA corridor gossip. If the DA or anyone wishes to get accurate information, government has processes that can be utilised in that regard.
“It is unfortunate that the DA uses the media to get this information in their desperate attempt to rubbish the work of the Minister.” –Â News24
Source:Â http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/minister-dlamini-wont-comment-on-r11-000-hotel-stay-20160614
