Task team into wasteful expenditure starting to look like window-dressing

On 30 July last year, following closely on the release of replies to Democratic Alliance (DA) questions showing ministers' expenditure of tens of millions of rands on luxurious cars, the ANC established a Ministerial Task Team to "look at government expenditure in the context of the economic meltdown".

However, seven months after this task team was set up, it has produced only an interim report, which gave no indication of how the rules might actually be changed, and no timelines for the finalisation of the process.  

This is despite the fact that, when asked in November last year about a deadline for the production of the report, Minister of Public Service and Administration, Richard Baloyi was quoted as saying "It will have to be soon".

However, the lack of action is perhaps not surprising, given that Baloyi has himself not shown that he understands the public outcry following government's wasteful expenditure. Last year Baloyi claimed that the luxury cars were "a tool to do work" and that ministers needed a "conducive environment" in which to do this work. This does not explain the enthusiastic inclusion by ministers of unnecessary features like BOSE sound systems and electronically folding tow bars into their luxury cars.

If the government does not want to create the impression that it set up the task team only to contain the damage caused by the reports, with no real intention of following through with it, then it must produce this report or, at the very least, outline a timeframe for its release. The DA calls on Baloyi to do so.  

South Africa has been severely affected by the economic meltdown. Jobs continue to be lost every day and our budget deficit has grown to 6.2% of GDP - from a surplus until very recently. Most South Africans have felt the pinch in one way or another. This month's budget is likely to make things even harder, with the possibility of a tax increase and the certainty of declining expenditure on public services.

In this context one would have expected some urgency from the government about setting the right tone about its own expenditure, and in putting a stop to appropriating public money for their own benefit. But it does not appear that this is the case.

Statement issued by Anchen Dreyer, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of public service and administration, February 6 2010

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