Madam Deputy Speaker, one in three of our SA Police Service, SAPS, members were ordered under penalty of disciplinary hearings to drop their duties and undertake a long and often chaotic trip to Bloemfontein. Many arrived after this party was over. No one will believe for a moment that removing 50 000 of our police officers from our stations to go to the party did not leave our citizens extremely vulnerable over a three- to five-day period: two days, travel, one day party, during which food ran out and no ablution facilities or accommodation was provided, and then two days to recover. In many instances two days were needed to recover from excessive drinking at the town's bottle stores.
Your spokesperson from the Ministry promised to reveal to the DA the total cost of the event before the event, during the event, and after the event, and has now lapsed into silence. We have asked you exactly how much was spent on the party and from which SAPS programme the money came. The country still does not know where their tax money went. Tell us now: What did the party cost the nation when it could have been held effectively, efficiently and safely for the citizens of this country in the provinces?