South Africa furore Over Flashy Cars for Jacob Zuma's Wives

South Africans are wondering how serious President Jacob Zuma is about austerity after it emerged this week that the state had spent about 8.6m rand ($550,000; £374,000) on new cars for his wives over the past three years.
In response to a parliamentary question from the opposition this week, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko said the police had spent close to $230,000 alone on luxury cars for President Zuma's four wives this year - despite a call for citizens to tighten their belts as South Africa's economy struggles to meet growth targets.

He said a total 11 vehicles for Mr Zuma's wives had been purchased out of the police budget:
Four Range Rovers bought in 2013 for $60,000 each
Two Land Rover Discovery worth $40,000 each bought in 2014
Two Audi Q7s bought in March this year for $40,000
And three Audi A6s also bought in March this year for $50,000 each.
Mr Nhleko, who is known for putting his head on the block for Mr Zuma, justified the purchases saying they were there "to provide comprehensive protection of VIP spouses".

But who is to blame for all of this?
Tinyiko Maluleke, a political analyst from the University of Pretoria says that South Africans should look at themselves for the answer.
"When you vote for a president who is a polygamist, you must have factored that into the arrangement," he told the BBC.
In South Africa, polygamy is a protected traditional right within the constitution for communities who practise the custom.
So this isn't a debate about the president's right to marry more than one wife but rather the merits of his family's maintenance costs by the state.
While no rule was broken, surely someone should have thought about the wider implications of this purchase at a time when the government was asking the rest of the country to tighten its belt?

source:BBC.com