Ah, the blue lights – those flashy symbols of South African ministerial privilege that clear traffic faster than you can say “VIP convoy.” You’d think opposition leader John Steenhuisen, a staunch critic of such perks, would steer clear of them as a minister in the coalition government of national unity, right? Well, not exactly.

For the uninitiated, the blue-light brigade refers to the convoys of ministerial vehicles that, with their flashing lights and sirens, whisk officials through traffic with zero regard for the ordinary citizens stuck behind them. 

The DA, SA’s official opposition, has long touted its opposition to the flashy perks of government, including those infamous blue-light brigades. Until they joined government, that is. We love that it’s a former DA politician who left the party disillusioned who ended up exposing John. So spicy! Athol Trollip, now with ActionSA, asked Minister of Agriculture and DA leader John Steenhuisen about his official vehicles and the answer turned heads: a fleet of three luxury SUVs, all equipped with blue lights, valued at a combined R2.8 million.

The revelation came through a written parliamentary response, where Steenhuisen explained: “Yes, all the executive vehicles are fitted with blue lights and the appropriate signalling systems”. 

In response to questions from Daily Maverick, Steenhuisen’s spokesperson, Charity McCord, stated that “the vehicles were inherited from the previous administration, and the acquisition of new vehicles has been strictly blocked by the DA ministers themselves.” 

Technically, the blue lights can be disabled, allowing the vehicles to function as regular cars without the ostentation. In 2010, the DA-run Western Cape began an initiative to remove the sirens and lights from provincial vehicles at a cost of R500 each. However, it seems Steenhuisen may have missed this memo, as McCord did not directly address whether Steenhuisen or his drivers have opted to deactivate the lights in practice.

While Steenhuisen maintained that the vehicles were handed down from the ANC era, this didn’t soften the blow from critics, especially given the DA’s public stance against such extravagance.

Helen Zille, DA federal chair, has been vocal about the party’s blue-light ban. In 2010, the DA-run Western Cape made a move to ban the so-called blue-light brigade. “We share the public’s disgust at being forced off the road by blue-light bullies escorting self-important politicians,” said Zille at the time. 

Yet Steenhuisen’s luxury fleet—which includes an Audi Q7, Toyota Prado, and BMW X5—suggests otherwise. Even more puzzling is his choice of words during a Limpopo visit in November last year, where he appeared in a Toyota Corolla Cross and claimed it was part of a “cost-saving mechanism” to ensure “more money will be spent on citizens and not politicians.”

Steenhuisen’s spokesperson, McCord, clarified that the Corolla Cross was a hired vehicle used because his official fleet was stationed in Pretoria and Cape Town. Nonetheless, the optics of using a budget-friendly car while in lieu of a luxury fleet didn’t sit well with critics like ActionSA’s Dereleen James.

“While Steenhuisen tried to project the image of travelling in a modest Toyota Cross, his own reply reveals he enjoys the comfort of a fleet of three blue-light luxury SUVs,” said James. She described Parliament’s parking lots as resembling luxury car showrooms, emblematic of ministers’ extravagance.

This revelation undermines the DA’s commitment to transparency and cutting unnecessary government spending. As James pointed out, “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.”

Maybe it’s time to swap the blue-light brigade for something a little more down-to-earth – like, say, an UberX? Until then, South Africans will just have to enjoy the irony of a “cost-saving” Corolla parked next to an R1-million Prado.