In a statement released following yesterday's cabinet meeting, government spokesperson, Themba Maseko made the following undertaking:

The Minister of Finance tabled the first draft report of the Ministerial Task Team on reprioritising spending to increase the impact of the budget. The Task Team's work is based on the key principle that Government is not attempting to cut public spending, but rather, to reduce wastage and to divert spending to new areas. The objectives of the proposals include: addressing public concerns that Government is ‘living large' while citizens are feeling the pain caused by the economic downturn; changing the culture towards greater prudence and less extravagance; achieving greater value for money and delivering more and better services with less resources (see full statement).

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes this initiative, and we look forward to seeing the recommendations that the task team will make, however, the real test of this initiative will not be the recommendations themselves, but the extent to which they are implemented and enforced, in hard, practical terms; as well as the nature and extent of the consequences for those members of the government who violate them.

The DA has identified an additional four examples of the ANC government's culture of unnecessary spending, and we will today update our Wasteful Expenditure Monitor by R3 million, bringing the total amount wasted by the new ANC administration to approximately R79 million. The details of the four new items added can be found below.

The expenditure monitor is available here, and the following information will be added to the table today:

R242 242: Parliamentary Committees held meetings and workshops at very luxury hotels, rather than in Parliament at venues available to them. Participating MP's were also lodged at luxury hotels.

•   R1.4 million: The Department of Science and Technology has purchased two 2009 Mercedes  Benz ML350s for Minister Naledi Pandor. The cars were fitted with extras amounting to over R150 000. These include metallic paint, command navigation, private glass, heated front seats  and Xenon active lights.
• R1.3 million: The Department of Police purchased two new ministerial vehicles. They comprised a 2008 BMW X5 3.OD and a 2009 BMW X5 Si 3.0 with extras including reverse cameras, a navigation system, sport suspension and a sunroof and valued at some R200 000.
• R90 000: The North West Education Department spent about R90 000 to pamper 43 directors and chief directors at a day spa outside Pretoria. They chose the spa's exotic full day package which cost R2 099 per person.

The DA will continue to monitor the amount misspent by the ANC government on unnecessary extras and update the monitor as and when appropriate.

Statement issued by Lindiwe Mazibuko, MP, Democratic Alliance national spokesperson, August 14 2009

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