When former AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma paid an unexplained visit to Luthuli House on Tuesday she had a three-car blue-light escort and an armed security detail.
But if she has to make a trip to Luthuli House this week, she will probably have to drive herself or catch a lift.
The Sunday Times has been informed that her blue-light convoy and security detail were extended as a courtesy only until the end of March.
As of tomorrow, taxpayers will not be paying for the service now that she is effectively unemployed.
Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesman Nelson Ngwete confirmed that the department paid for the service, which Dlamini-Zuma had the use of while doing party work since her return to South Africa, as a courtesy. "The courtesies included the provision of ground transportation and police VIP protection since her return, till March 31 2017," Ngwete said in an e-mail.
Many believed Dlamini-Zuma would have been included in President Jacob Zuma's cabinet reshuffle this week but she did not make the cut.
Her name is on a standby list for parliament, but it is unclear whether she will be nominated to serve as an MP.
Dlamini-Zuma returned from Addis Ababa on March 15 after a handover process to her successor, Moussa Faki Mahamat, who was elected in January.
During her tenure at the commission, she was afforded the status and protocol of a head of state, which included a huge security contingent.
In South Africa, she was given presidential protection services, which are usually extended to the serving president, deputy president and former presidents.
Before going to the commission, Dlamini-Zuma had enjoyed the perks of blue lights and escorts since 1994 on account of her being a cabinet minister - she was the first minister of health and then served as foreign affairs minister for 10 years under former president Thabo Mbeki.
Under Zuma, she worked as minister of home affairs until 2012, when she left for Addis Ababa.
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