DA requests Public Protector to investigate SABC's R3,4 billion irregular expenditure

22 October 2014

I have this morning written to the Public Protector to request that she investigates R 3,4 billion of irregular expenditure documented in the Auditor-General's latest report on the SABC.

Yesterday in the Communications Portfolio Committee I asked the SABC to explain the increase in irregular expenditure from R 100 000 000 in the last financial year to R 3 390 000 000 this year. I also asked who was responsible and what actions were being taken against the individuals concerned.

SABC officials replied that:

The irregular expenditure was incurred over the last three years

It is reflected this year because it was only disclosed this year

It is difficult to say who is responsible because the issue is a historical one and there have been different accounting officers over the period.

This is an unsatisfactory response to the say the least. It does not tell us, for example, why the expenditure was only disclosed this year. If the irregular expenditure was previously covered up, then the public needs to know who was responsible for that as well.

It is clear that the SABC has no appetite to get to the truth and hold anybody accountable for this irregular expenditure. I am therefore requesting the Public Protector to do so.

R3,4 billion is a mind-boggling amount of money. It is imperative that we get to the bottom of where the money went, who was responsible for spending it irregularly and what action needs to be taken against those responsible.

Statement issued by Gavin Davis MP, DA Shadow Minister of Communications, October 22 2014

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