Ministers' car hire on the up and up

The amount government ministers spend on hiring cars is climbing steadily, with Arts and Culture having spent R118 000 last year.

Most of the bill was run up by former arts and culture minister Lulu Xingwana, who spent R75 000 on hiring cars on 13 occasions.

This was revealed in a response by Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile to DA MP Ian Ollis's parliamentary questions, which he has put to all 34 ministers.

In the first two responses, Minister of Public Works Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde said she and her predecessor, Geoff Doidge, had spent more than R430 000 on hired cars in the 2010-2011 financial year.

Rob Davies, minister of trade and industry, revealed that he and his deputies had spent R155 000 in the same period.

Labour Minister Nelisiwe Mildred Oliphant has refused to say how much her ministry spent on hiring cars since April 2010.

She sidestepped the question, by saying that she assumed office only after President Jacob Zuma reshuffled his cabinet in November 2010.

"Since then I have hired cars on 12 occasions," was all she said.

Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said he would answer later.

Ollis accused Oliphant of treating parliament with disrespect and said he would probe further.

He added that some of Mashatile's car hire seemed "reasonable" but it was worrying that Mashatile's deputy, Joe Phaahla, spent R17 500 on renting a four-wheel-drive VW Touareg 5 to drive around Isandlwana, KwaZulu-Natal.

Phaahla was attending Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's state visit there in January. Guest houses in the area say a 4x4 is not necessary because the dirt road is only 9km long.

The ministerial handbook, which is being revised, allows members of the cabinet to hire luxury cars when they are away from their official vehicles, which are based in Pretoria and Cape Town.