Minister Gordhan spends R60 000 on two nights in Paris

It has come to light that the people of South Africa spent R60 000 on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's two-night stay in Paris in March this year.

This was revealed in a parliamentary reply received today by the Democratic Alliance (DA). 

Minister Gordhan has on many occasions called on state officials to spend the people's money responsibly. However, it seems that the Minister has now violated his own rules.

I will today be writing to the Minister to ask how he reconciles his R60 000 hotel bill with his numerous public comments urging government to spend state funds wisely. 

Minister Gordhan is our government's head cheerleader for responsible use of public funds. 

In this year's Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), he said: "We have to address inefficiency, extravagance and waste in public administration, for trusteeship is at the heart of the contract between government and its citizens." 

It is difficult to see how other state departments and officials can take this statement seriously in the light of the Minister's actions. This also follows after yesterday's admission that the Minister has no real targets for reducing wasteful government expenditure. 

The spending of state funds on supporting Ministers' love for the high life illustrates just how disconnected the government is from the needs of the South African people.  Every rand spent by government on expensive hotel bills leaves fewer resources to spend on improving the lives of the South African people. 

Statement issued by Dr Dion George MP, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, December 1 2011

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