Police minister Bheki Cele says China brought in a team a month before the Brics summit in South Africa to remodel the hotel suite for President Xi Jinping.  

Talking to Newsroom Afrika on Thursday, Cele said China brought the largest delegation with about 500 people, taking over two hotels. 

Personalised furnishings were brought from China to Johannesburg for the president.

“The presidential suite was completely changed. They brought the bed, mattress, carpets, everything, their cups. There was nothing South African in that room,” he said.  

He didn’t know what would happen to the items the Chinese brought.  

He said there was a tourism spin-off for South Africa as some delegates from Brics countries were extending their stay, adding the Russian delegation was moving on to Cape Town.  

TimesLIVE