Why are National Treasury’s performance and expenditure reviews being kept secret?

9 May 2016 

The Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, has not replied to my letter, dated 04 April 2016, requesting copies of certain performance and expenditure reviews in the possession of National Treasury. 

I have, therefore, submitted a request, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (No. 2 of 2000), for access to all performance and expenditure reviews completed by National Treasury.

Up until now National Treasury has published brief summaries of seven performance and expenditure reviews. 

However, no performance and expenditure reviews have ever been made public by National Treasury. 

National Treasury claim to have completed 30 performance and expenditure reviews between 2013 and 2016.

These include inter alia reviews of: the Land Restitution Programme; the National Skills Fund; Industrial Development Zones; Cost Drivers in Foreign Missions; and Border Management Administration.

However, we only find reference to 20 completed performance and expenditure reviews between 2013 and 2016.

National Treasury conduct performance and expenditure reviews to improve quality of spending by reviewing whether services are being delivered in the most cost-effective manner.

Budget Review 2015 provides some insight into the kinds of findings contained in performance and expenditure reviews. 

The performance and expenditure review on cost drivers in foreign missions found, for example, that: 

“Cost of living allowances for South African staff are more generous than those offered by other countries and international organizations – between 20 and 50 percent higher than the United Nations, for example. The location of the most expensive missions is not aligned with trade relations and other economic interests”. 

There is no reason why National Treasury should not make performance and expenditure reviews public. 

Strong parliamentary oversight of expenditure is vital to containing the growth in expenditure, and access to information contained in performance and expenditure reviews will assist parliament in that task.

When he was appointed on 14 December 2015, the minister made a firm commitment to enhancing transparency, and so responding to my request for access to performance and expenditure reviews presents a rare “transparency test” for National Treasury.

Issued by David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, 9 May 2016