State Security Minister Bongani Bongo has dismissed media reports alleging that he had a prolonged stay at a Cape Town hotel, racking up a bill of R147 000.
The story was first published by the Sunday Times on Sunday before being carried by other media outlets. The article alleged that the Minister ditched his official residence for the upmarket hotel.
In a statement on Monday, the Minister said he did not stay at the hotel for three weeks precisely “because of the realisation of our current fiscal constraints and our responsibility as government to lead from the front”.
Instead, he said, his stay was limited to a period of three days.
The Minister also clarified the issue around his official residence, saying the process of allocation is yet to be finalised by the relevant department.
“In the meantime, I have been using in the main my old accommodation at the Parliamentary Village. Given the nature of the work we do, I have also made use of other accommodation as well as the hotel referred to in the reports” said Minister Bongo.
The Ministry indicated that it has approached the Sunday Times seeking a retraction and an apology for the clearly inaccurate information presented as facts in the story. - SAnews.gov.za
