Minister's hotel accommodation justified

25 Oct 2011

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is perturbed at the "grandstanding" by the Democratic Alliance (DA) for issuing a media statement today criticising the hotel accommodation of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, without explaining and giving context why the Minister had to be accommodated at the hotels.

The Minister was appointed in May 2009 and did not have official accommodation for more than a year. The house that was allocated to the Minister in Cape Town was sub-standard and had many chronic defects. During that period when the house was undergoing renovations the Minister had to be accommodated at a hotel to allow her to perform her official duties.

Similarly, with the Pretoria residence, Joemat-Pettersson had to make use of hotel accommodation as the department responsible for allocating her official accommodation had not done so for over a year. Consequently, the Minister had to use alternative accommodation in accordance with the rules governing the official accommodation of Ministers.

Joemat-Pettersson has been occupying the official residences in Cape Town and Pretoria since August 2010.

For the DA to label the Minister's hotel accommodation unjustifiable and suggesting that she is intent on placing her expensive tastes above the needs of the South African people is insulting, disingenuous and smacks of cheap-politicking.

When the Minister's official accommodation became available, she duly took immediate occupation of those residences - both in Pretoria and Cape Town. She is sensitive to the needs of the people and fully understands the abject poverty that the millions of South Africans live under hence her unflinching commitment to ensuring that there is food security for all the citizens of this country.

The costs regarding the hotel accommodation of the Minister both in Pretoria and Cape Town are justifiable given the prevailing circumstances at the time. Twice the Ministry had to cancel accommodation at the last minute due to circumstances beyond the Ministry's control because, as is seldom the case, Ministers have to attend official engagements at short notice.

Statement issued by Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, October 25 2011

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