The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today updated the Wasteful Expenditure Monitor, and the increased total now stands at R172.82 million, due largely to excessive spending by ministers on luxury vehicles, and wastage at the SABC and the Department of Public Works.

This increase from last week's count of R119.96-million is a direct result of the following incidences of overspending in government:

• R22 million - SABC commissioned local programming that it does not intend on using, as revealed by the DA;
• R16 million - 147 would-be artisans were employed by the Department of Public Works. However, instead of promised apprenticeships, they reportedly ended up "play[ing] cards in the sun, braid[ing] each other's hair and [sleeping]", while taking home a monthly salary of close to R6000 each (over 18 months). The Sunday Times established that owing to cost-cutting in the department, none of the trainees, recruited through national newspaper adverts in 2007, ever received their promised training.
• R4million - According to the Auditor General report on the Department of Social Services, assets, including vehicles, to the value of over R4m could not be found;
• R300 000 - In response to a DA parliamentary question, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLF) has admitted to spending R300,000 from the pockets of taxpayers and at the cost of service delivery - on a ‘project launch' celebration party.
• R84 420 - The amount spent by the Department of Public Works on its 2009 budget vote celebration party.

The following is the latest list of luxury vehicles bought by government ministers and MECs: 

Included in the host of unnecessary extras that have been installed in the ministers vehicles are the following: DVD players, heated front seats, sunroof installation, reverse cameras, sport suspension, sports leather steering wheel, rear-seat entertainment and ambient interior lighting.

As part of its oversight role as the official opposition, the DA introduced the Wasteful Expenditure Monitor as a means of measuring the extent of the ANC government's fruitless and wasteful expenditure of public funds, and to demonstrate how often the needs of the ANC elite are put before the needs of ordinary South Africans.

The DA once again calls on government departments and members of the executive to do the right thing and, following the example of the DA provincial government in the Western Cape, implement measures to monitor and cut back on unnecessary government spending. We will continue to monitor the situation and make the necessary additions to the Wasteful Expenditure Monitor as and when they occur.

Statement issued by Lindiwe Mazibuko, Democratic Alliance national spokesperson, September 18 2009

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