The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has referred two departments and one entity to the Hawks to investigate the "appalling" state of their financial affairs.
Scopa this week asked the Hawks to investigate the Department of International Relations, the Department of Basic Education and the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) after they incurred billions in irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
The Department of Basic Education incurred R44m in wasteful expenditure as a result of its Kha ri Gude programme.
Scopa wants the Department of International Relations’ chief financial officer investigated for financial misconduct.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga stopped short of threatening to leave a Scopa meeting this week when committee members was asked her to explain how her department had lost R2bn because of irregular expenditure.
MPs who serve on Scopa, including ANC members, were unimpressed when the minister withheld answers and told her she could only leave on the committee’s terms.
Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said the minister was happy with the Scopa briefing and said Motshekga was looking forward to implementing measures to curb irregular expenditure.
"Members have a right to be tough with us so that we up our game and deliver on our promise," said Mhlanga.
Mhlanga said the department would focus on expediting disciplinary processes of officials found to have fallen foul of the Public Finance Management Act.
Scopa chairman Themba Godi said the departments had little excuse for their errant ways in an economic climate where taxpayers are under pressure and streams of revenue for the state are shrinking.
"Consequence management is a challenge. The buck stops at a political level. Unless there are actions and consequences then we are wasting time and Parliament is just a talk shop," he said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.