Met ‘n tanende ekonomie en ‘n bodemlose ekonomiese put, het Suid Afrika ‘n rooskleurige toekoms, nê mnr. de Klerk?

WHAT WILL FREEDOM DAY MONEY BE SPENT ON?

2014-03-24 08:05

Wasted government spending bemoaned

Govt spent R4.6bn on food, entertainment

Johannesburg - Millions of rands have been budgeted for Freedom Day celebrations but it is unclear what the money will actually be spent on, a report said on Monday.

Gauteng government officials could not give the Times newspaper a clear answer as to how it will spend its R37m budget to commemorate the day.

The provincial sport, art, culture and recreation department said a “variety of activities” such as music festivals and sporting events had been planned for a year-long celebration. Celebrations at the Union Buildings on only Freedom Day will already cost R6m, Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile’s office told the newspaper. Most provinces had not finalised their events or the costs thereof, the Times wrote.

Mbeki: Freedom being abused for personal gain. Just days after the release of the public protector’s report into Nkandla, former president Thabo Mbeki has criticised those in power who abuse the freedom achieved by the struggle for personal gain. What will Freedom Day money be spent on?

GOVT SPENT R4.6BN ON FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT

2012-10-16 09:51

Johannesburg - The government spent R4.67bn on catering, entertainment and travel allowances in 2011, Beeld reported on Tuesday.

The figures emerged from government departments' financial results tabled in Parliament over the past few weeks, the newspaper reported. In the financial year ending on March 31 2012, the 34 state departments incurred the following costs:

- R194m for catering

- R31.7m for entertainment

- R4.4bn for travel and accommodation expenses.

Dion George, DA MP, said expenditure of this kind while the country bled economically was a disgrace, and that it was totally unacceptable to spend such a large sum of money on frivolities. The three departments responsible for the most spending on entertainment, food and travel expenses were defence (R780m), the police (R685m) and justice (R454m). The department of defence's travel and accommodation expenses amounted to R733m.

"The DA will send a formal request to the minister of finance to issue a statement in which government departments are asked to stop spending money on luxuries," George said.

"Wasting money in this manner amounts to negligence, during times in which poor South Africans are struggling to put food on the table."

- SAPA