House Chair, information submitted to the Portfolio Committee on Police by the Independent Complaints Directorate has revealed the exact value of the inflated rental of the ICD's new headquarters which is owned by controversial businessman Roux Shabangu. The Department of Public Works recommended that the ICD sign an R880 000 per month lease for a property owned by Roux Shabangu's company to house its Pretoria headquarters. This is double the cost of the monthly rental for the building initially proposed by the ICD, which would have cost just under R420 000 per month.
Not only is the Shabangu-owned building twice the price of the building chosen by the ICD, but it reportedly does not meet the ICD's requirements. So, the question must be asked: Why is Shabangu getting the lease deal? We are seeing history repeating itself.
In her report on the unlawful SA Police Service's lease deals, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela raised concerns, both about the suitability and the exorbitant cost of the buildings leased by the Department of Public Works from Mr Shabangu. It's bizarre that the Department of Public Works, which recently saw its Minister axed because of her involvement in a dodgy lease involving Roux Shabangu, would, for a second time, seek to enter a questionable lease agreement with the self-same individual.
The new Minister of Public Works needs to prove that he is committed to putting clear blue water between his tenure and his predecessor's by providing a full explanation for the reasoning behind the latest Shabangu deal. [Applause.]