SOUTH African taxpayers allegedly forked out R1 500 for each of President Jacob Zuma’s six doormats at his Nkandla home.
A dossier compiled by former Public Works deputy director-general Rachard Samuel, alleged state money was used to pay for decor at Zuma’s Nkandla home, including meranti and aluminium doors and window frames, plastering, tiles and paint.
Costs had spiralled out of control, with doormats costing a hefty R1 500 each.
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The Independent checked the price of doormats across several stores, and what the architects and decorators could have found to do the job if they had been more frugal and done a bit of bargain hunting.
From as little as R44.99 to a high of R350, doormats of all kinds are available – some the simple rubber kind to trap dirt from entering, and others of more intricate design to welcome people into your home.
Whatever the choice, all would do the job without costing a whack of money.
Pep stores had the cheapest option at R44.99 for a rubber mat with a big welcome logo. And it definitely appeared it would stand the test of time against bad weather, high heels and outdoor shoes.
At Shoprite, a teal, brown and beige doormat with non-slip rubber backing was on offer for R99.99.
The Hub store had several options, with the “cuter” one having the words “Welcome to my house” written above a drawing of three pairs of shoes.
This “homely” effect, comes at a cost of R99.95.
Pick n Pay had a fairly functional range of doormats at around R49.99, while Game had the DirtTrapper range of mats retailing between R200 and R380.
Most suitable for Nkandla though, would have been the range carried at Sheet Street, where rubber doormats painted in faux gold and in a lattice design for R139.99 offer just the right mix of fancy and functional for the rather upmarket setting.