The director-general of the department of social development said on Thursday that lessons had been learnt from the “excessive” expenditure by officials on a trip to New York in March to attend the conference of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
The department spent more than R3m on seven people — six departmental officials and a representative of nonprofit organisations — on the two-week trip. The department's delegation, which included social development minister Sisisi Tolashe, were accommodated in luxury hotels.
Two weeks at five-star hotel
Sizakele Magangoe, new deputy director-general for welfare services, spent R389,000 for two weeks at a five-star hotel with a private butler — one of the most expensive in Manhattan.
She also spent almost R200,000 on flights, R419,000 on transfers and R40,000 in travel and subsistence.
In a briefing to parliament’s social development portfolio committee, which demanded a report on the expenditure, director-general Peter Netshipale stressed the importance of the annual conference and SA’s status at the gatherings.
He said the conferences enabled bilateral meetings and the building of partnerships to advance the national interest. SA has participated in the conference for decades and is a member of the commission’s secretariat.
There were many side events and much of interest in developments in SA; for instance, regarding gender-based violence and the empowerment of women and girls, Netshipale said.
He said the rand was relatively weak against the dollar at the time, with the R3m in question equal to about $150,000. Also, businesses in New York raised their prices in anticipation of thousands of delegates descending on city for the conference.
Air tickets cost R1m, insurance R5,536, accommodation R1.3m, transfers R423,964 and subsistence and travel allowances R159,065, he said.
Still Netshipale conceded that the expenditure was “excessive” and did not condone it. In future the number of delegates would have to be reduced to a bare minimum, he said. Trips would be planned well in advance to save costs and cheaper accommodation would be sought.
DA slams luxury spending
DA MP Alexandra Abrahams said the director-general had not explained why such expensive hotels were chosen for accommodating the delegates.
In addition to the department of social development, the departments of women, youth and people with disabilities and higher education also spent millions of rand on their delegates, with SA’s total delegation reportedly numbering 82.
Tolashe addressed allegations of irregular appointments in the ministry. Committee chair Bridget Masango noted that the committee had been inundated with allegations of nepotism, abuse of power, gross misconduct and maladministration at the department.
Tolashe said the allegations were false and in some cases unlawful and were intended to damage her reputation and dignity.
Tolashe accused her former chief of staff Zanele Simmons of “betraying her trust” in the irregular appointment of 22-year old Lesedi Mabiletja, saying it had been based on misrepresentations and dishonesty in her CV. Human resources rejected the appointment and Simmons has been dismissed, though she is contesting that.
Daily Maverick reported that Mabiletja, who had hardly any professional experience, was appointed to a senior leadership post with an annual salary of about R1.4m.
The department’s chief director of communications, Lumka Oliphant, was placed on precautionary suspension, reportedly on suspicion of leaking details of the New York trip to the media. Oliphant denied the allegations, calling her suspension politically motivated.
Tolashe said Oliphant’s suspension was based on a report of the auditor-general, which flagged serious irregularities relating to the management of funds.
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.