ActionSA says DA federal chairperson Helen Zille lied about the party ministers not using blue lights.
Zille has previously stated that none of the DA ministers in the Government of National (GNU) were using State vehicles fitted with blue lights.
She also mentioned that the DA ministers chose not to utilise the ministerial residences offered to them in both Pretoria and Cape Town.
According to Zille, the ministers had made the decision to share a house in Pretoria in order to minimise the use of state resources.
However, in a parliamentary reply, DA leader John Steenhuisen's revelation painted a different picture from what Zille had said.
IOL reported on Tuesday about Steenhuisen saying that he was indeed using executive vehicles equipped with blue lights that are valued at over R2.8 million.
As part of his official security detail, Steenhuisen is given three high-end SUVs, each worth over R1 million. This included an Audi Q7, BMW X5, and Toyota Prado.
This is despite the DA criticising the ANC ministers for abusing state resources on security, beefed up homes and luxurious vehicles.
ActionSA MP Dereleen James said while Steenhuisen tried to project the image of travelling in a modest Toyota Cross, his own reply revealed that he actually enjoys the comfort of a fleet of three blue light luxury SUVs.
"The hollow claims of standing against wasteful expenditure and the abuse of state resources only lend credence to evident concerns that the GNU has become nothing more than a convenient political arrangement between the ANC and DA, offering no real reforms but instead serving as a marriage of convenience driven by the division of cushy cabinet positions and their associated perks," James said.
She said the police were struggling with basic vehicles yet "the bloated billion-rand Cabinet lives in a bubble of luxury and security — paid for by the very taxpayers who are being forced to tighten their belts".
James said ActionSA will fight tirelessly to end this extravagant travel and put a stop to the unchecked waste of money and patronage enjoyed by the partners in the grand coalition.
IOL Politics