Gordhan must stop obscene expenditure of R4.67 billion on luxuries
The 2011/12 Annual Reports released over the last month reveal that government spent R4.67 billion on entertainment, catering and travel over the last year.
It boggles the mind that so much money can be spent on luxuries for Ministers and government officials when so many South Africans remain in poverty and our economy continues to nose-dive.
In his State of the Nation Address in February, President Zuma called on his government to "kill that spirit of self" and "not live above your people, but live with them". How then does he explain the obscene amounts of money his government spent on catering, entertainment and travel?
In the 2011/2012 financial year, 34 national government departments have spent (see link):
- R194 million on catering;
- R31.7 million on entertainment; and
- R4.4 billion on travel and subsistence.
Catering costs refer to food and beverage costs for (among others) departmental workshops, indabas, launches, training, year-end functions and the opening of parliament.
"Entertainment" costs are defined as "luncheon meetings held with colleagues, foreign delegations and/or other individuals" and the "purchase of dinner during authorised overtime" incurred by senior managers and ministers (see link).
Travel costs include transport, accommodation, food and beverages other expenses incurred by officials whilst performing their duties.
The five biggest-spending departments in terms of these three expense items were:
- Defence (R780 million)
- Police (R685 million)
- Justice and Constitutional Development (R454 million)
- International Relations and Cooperation (R392 million); and
- Correctional Services (R301 million)
With R10.6 million spent on entertainment, the Department of Defence appears to spend quite a bit of time feeding themselves and important guests, almost topping the entertainment costs of the Department of International Relations - whose entertainment costs include those of more than 180 embassies and consulates. Defence also spent R733.1 million on travel and subsistence.
Defence and police topped the bill on catering - spending respectively R35.9 million and R22.1 million on this budget item. It is clearly hungry work keeping South Africans protected.
The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities also deserve special mention.
This department has a relatively small budget of R143.1 million. It did, however, spend a staggering R4.5 million on catering, R56 000 on entertainment and R18.8 million (13.2% of their total budget) on travel and subsistence.
The DA will be writing to the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, to request that he issues a notice to all government departments to put a stop to this kind of spending on luxuries. It is nothing short of obscene - particularly at a time when so many poor South Africans are struggling to put food on the table for their families.
Statement issued by Dr Dion George MP, DA Spokesperson on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, October 15 2012
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