Departments headed by ministers Nomvula Mokonyane and Des van Rooyen lead the government pack when it comes to irregular expenditure‚ according to an auditor-general report before Parliament’s finance watchdog.
Mokonyane’s Department of Water and Sanitation racked up a whopping R2.5bn in irregular expenditure‚ while the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs‚ led by Van Rooyen‚ was responsible for irregular expenditure amounting to R1bn.
The standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) has summoned all the implicated department heads to explain the irregular expenditure.
Scopa chairperson Themba Godi said the committee agreed that it would call in all the departments that were responsible for fruitless and wasteful expenditure, as well as irregular expenditure.
Godi said irregular expenditure meant expenditure incurred without following proper procedures and processes.
"We have sent our letters to the accounting officers and also copied the ministers. We will hear from departments in terms of who is coming to appear‚" said Godi.
The government’s anticorruption task team was also expected to attend the meeting.
Godi said irregular expenditure could occur either because there was an "emergency", or because "somebody wanted to advantage a person who didn’t open competitive bids that person might not have won‚ or because they want the state to acquire services for much higher amounts than they should be‚" said Godi.
According to the report‚ the Public Finance Management Act identifies three types of improper expenditure specifically: irregular expenditure‚ unauthorised expenditure as well as fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
"The Department of Water and Sanitation incurred irregular expenditure of R782.7m in 2015-16 resulting in a cumulative figure of R2.5bn‚ followed by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, with a cumulative figure of R1bn‚" it was noted in the report.
The other affected departments were Michael Masutha’s Department of Correctional Services and Nathi Mthethwa’s Department of Arts and Culture, which recorded R403m in irregular expenditure.
TMG Digital
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