The Department of Communications may become bankrupt by the middle of this year, but this will apparently not stop it from purchasing two new luxury vehicles for its new minister and deputy minister.

This was revealed by the department’s acting director general, Basani Baloyi, during a presentation to the Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications today.

According to Baloyi, the department is looking at buying vehicles not worth more than R750 000 each. Its reasoning is that the Ministerial Handbook allows ministers to purchase new vehicles once mileage has been reached.

DA spokesperson and member of the Committee, Phumzile van Damme, mentions that the department should already have a fleet of cars available to them, which should be “more than good enough”. These vehicles are:

Minister: 2014 BMW X5 XDrive 3.0D R926 310.00 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee R862 838.00 Deputy Minister: 2014 Audi A8 3.0TDI Quattro R852 041.00 2014 Audi Q7 4.2TDI V8 R882 250.00

“The DA will not stand for ANC Ministers living in luxury, whilst people remain trapped in poverty and unemployment. For this reason, the DA has laid out the challenge to Minister Dlodlo that she must reject these new luxury vehicles, and the Minister should do the right thing,” van Damme said.

[Image – CC MikeBird