R500K?: Bheki Cele admits taxpayers’ money used for RWC trip

by Staff Bona

The controversial Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, is receiving heat after the South African Police Service (SAPS) contributed close to half a million rand to help fund his executive assistant’s trip to France for the Rugby World Cup (RWC).

During a question-and-answer session in parliament headed by the opposition political party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), Bheki stated that SAPS spent R446,339.43 for the executive assistant’s international travels.

While the Minister’s trip was funded by an “unnamed private company,” a further R33,256 from SAPS was used for his stay in France.

Picture: X

The DA also released a statement concerning Bheki’s admission of the use of the taxpayers’ money. The statement partially read:

“The Minister was not forthcoming as to which private entity provided the all-expenses-paid trip and as such, the DA will submit a PAIA request to the Minister to ascertain some … information.”

The statement further read, “It is unfathomable that the Minister would allow almost half a million rand to be spent on an assistant where SAPS already has budgetary restrictions, shortages of detectives, and dilapidated SAPS stations.”

Former leader of the DA, Mmusi Maimane took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the discovery:

“This is outrageous. We need a new Minister of Police. Not only has crime gotten worse under his watch, he is wasting our money.”

Also see: ‘ANC took a wrong decision to remove Thabo Mbeki’- Fikile Mbalula