In a Floyd Shivambu-like moment of incoherence, Julius Malema yesterday claimed that Blade Nzimande had done nothing wrong by spending R1.1-million on a new 7 series BMW. Malema apparently said that because Nzimande had not broken any law, no-one could rightly complain about his behaviour, before adding "your morality is not my morality".

This nonsense has got to stop. When will our leaders begin to take personal responsibility for their behaviour? Just because you are allowed to spend R1-million on a car doesn't mean you have to! If the regulations said you are allowed to spend R50-million on cars, would Nzimande then be acting on principle to buy a fleet of Ferraris? Or would he be "saving the taxpayer", to paraphrase Minister Motshekga, to spend only R49-million on his Ferraris?

While I know maths isn't Julius's strong point, here are some basic figures that even he should be able to get: if every minister, deputy minister, premier and MEC were to spend the full amount allowed by the handbook on vehicles, R240-millon will have been spent (on just over 220 motor vehicles). That's a lot of money to waste on luxuries - enough to have built 5,500 houses, 25 schools, or paid for the salaries of 1,500 nurses.

Malema doesn't get it. And time and again our ministers show that they don't get it either. They tell us that they're sticking to the letter of the law, but forget they're the ones who make the law! The DA Youth League believes that in these tough economic times, and with so many social challenges still facing us, no government minister should be buying new cars at the moment. We applaud the Western Cape provincial government for bringing a halt to the purchase of any new vehicles, and by saving millions of Rands by using pool cars.

Statement issued by Khume Ramulifho, Democratic Alliance national youth leader, September 4 2009

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