The DTI has issued a media release explaining their refusal to provide information on ministerial hotel stays applied for by the DA under the Promotion of Access to Information Act. The basis for their refusal is threefold, but none of their explanations warrants a blanket black-out on the details of hotel stays:
1. It is of no concern whether accommodation is a matter of individual choice or not. The point is, when public money is used to fund ministerial expenses, the public deserves to know exactly where and how that money has been spent.
2. In the very few cases where there is a genuine security risk, it would be completely acceptable for the minister to decline to provide detail on that specific hotel stay. It is not acceptable, however, for there to be a blanket lack of detail on all stays because of "security considerations".
3. Again, in the few cases where there would be a genuine contractual compromise, we would accept limited confidentiality, but a blanket lack of detail is unacceptable.
In addition, the occasions where I have been part of a parliamentary delegation that has used the same accommodation as the Minister are a matter of public record - like every occasion where taxpayers' money supports a parliamentary trip. What is unacceptable to us is that the same standards appear not to apply to some cabinet ministers.
There was ambiguity in our original statement caused by an editing error: the statement should have read that the PAIA application response cited security concerns, and not the reply to the parliamentary question. This does not change the fact that we received an inadequate response to our parliamentary question. Minister Davies failed to provide the DA with the specific information requested concerning his hotel stays. This is precisely why we submitted the PAIA application, which was rejected on the pretext of security concerns.
It also doesn't change the fact that Minister Davies spent over R1.4 million on hotel accommodation between May 2009 and 31 July 2011. Minister Davies' hotel bill is approaching the same league as the amounts which triggered an investigation by the Public Protector into Ministers Tina Joemat-Pettersson and S'bu Ndebele, and cost former Minister Sicelo Shiceka his job. While the trade promotion responsibilities of the DTI would require more ministerial travel than other departments, big-spending departments also have a responsibility to inform fully taxpayers on the spending of public money.
We stand by our view that - save in the small minority of cases where there are genuine, specific security concerns - all information on previous hotel stays should be made available by Ministers so that the people of South Africa know how their money is spent.
Tim Harris MP
DA Shadow Minister of Trade & Industry
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