Blade Nzimande, minister of Higher Education and Training in the President's newish 34-member cabinet, "does not condone wasteful expenditure under any circumstances and stands firm in his condemnation of greed, corruption and selfishness in society". This assurance comes in written form from the department itself to explain why Nzimande has bought (at taxpayers' expense) a R1.1million (£86,000) 730 series BMW.
The official statement makes the further point that as a leader of the South African Communist Party (its general secretary), "Blade is opposed to any form of unnecessary extravagance and is acutely mindful of the current recession and its impact on the workers and poor of the country".
Why the department should note Nzimande's high ranking in the SACP is not clear. It appears to see the SACP as standing a moral notch or two above the other political parties. More important, what has a departmental spokesman got to do with the SACP? Is this how the division between state and party continues to blur?
The tortuous explanation offered by the spokesman, Ranjeni Munusamy, was that the department was concerned over the high cost of renting a vehicle and decided that instead one should be purchased in line with ministerial guidelines. The car is not the property of the Minister. It was bought by the Department for ministerial use on official duties within the regulations and in line with the VIP Protection Unit security considerations. It was already on the showroom floor with "all its extras."
Waiting for a new vehicle to be manufactured could have taken up to six months, so "the department accepted the offer of the dealership to take the showroom vehicle ‘as is' at a discount price. Therefore, neither Nzimande nor the department ordered the extra features. Nzimande accepted the vehicle voetstoots - what-you-see-is-what-you-get. This is humility of the most admirable kind.
The department explains further that it has not acquired a second vehicle in Cape Town for Nzimande's use. Currently, he uses a hired car, while the vehicle used by the former Minister of Education is being repaired. The ministry "supports the cabinet process on cost-cutting and will fully implement those measures once they are finalized". Self-denial like this brings a fleeting tear to the eye.