POLITICS

Govt spent R609m on catering over past five years - Watty Watson

DA Chief Whip says ANC has given renewed meaning to term 'gravy train'

Government puts money where its mouth is with catering expenditure

Government departments are riding a new kind of gravy train. 

Replies to parliamentary questions asked by the DA reveal that the national government's total catering and entertainment bill since 2007/08 stands at over R609.7 million.

This is not what people mean when they say that government should put its money where its mouth is.

The departments with the biggest catering and entertainment bills are: 

  • International Relations and Co-operation (over R216.8 million);
  • Police (over R113.2 million); and
  • Justice and Constitutional Development (over R48.9 million)

The figures per department are as follows:

 Department

 Total spending

 Health

Catering: R 15 786 432
Entertainment:  R 1 032 328

 Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Catering: R 5 923 000
Entertainment: R 1 067 000

 Arts and Culture

Catering: R 13 554 235
Entertainment: R 2 040 429

 Basic Education

Catering:  R 5 584 000
Entertainment: R261 000

 Communications

Catering: R 12 081 000
Entertainment: R 606 000

 Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Catering: R 27 855 921
Entertainment:  R 103 000

 Economic Development

 Catering: R 1 178 663
Entertainment:  R 10 452

 Energy

Catering: R 3 104 102
Entertainment:  R 204 460

 Higher Education and Training

Catering: R 6 306 532
Entertainment:  R 161 275 

 International Relations and Co-operation

 Catering: R 111 183 000
Entertainment:  R 105 643 000

 Justice and Constitutional Development

Catering: R 46 390 000
Entertainment:  R 2 585 000

 Labour

Catering: R 23 407 000
Entertainment:  R 1 632 000

 Police

 Catering: R 73 447 511
Entertainment:  R 39 830 343

 Public Enterprises

Catering: R 5 814 000
Entertainment:  R 581 000

 Public Service and Administration

 Catering: R 9 446 166
Entertainment:  R 1 656 265

 Public Works

Catering: R 12 985 000
Entertainment:  R 5 081 000

 Rural Development and Land Reform

 Catering: R 34 525 938
Entertainment:  R 85 113

 Science and Technology

Catering: R 7 712 000
Entertainment:  R 4 091 000

 Social Development

Catering: R 16 410 000
Entertainment:  R 2 029 000

 Tourism

Catering: R 853 347
Entertainment:  R 184 455

 Women, Children and People with Disabilities

Catering: R 7 200 707
Entertainment:  R 97 860

In response to the details that have been revealed about government's bloated catering bill, the DA will be:

  • Submitting questions to the three departments with the biggest bills to determine the reasons for their high spending;
  • Submitting questions to the Minister of Finance to determine what steps Treasury is taking to reign in wasteful spending on departmental catering and entertainment; and
  • Asking oral questions to each of the ministers that have not yet replied to our questions about their department's catering and entertainment spending, so that they can explain the size of their department's bill to Parliament in person. 

This government would rather splash cash on cocktails and canapes than fund the delivery of basic services to South Africans living in poverty. It's time for President Zuma to trim the fat and spend public money on the poor.

Statement issued by Watty Watson MP, DA Chief Whip, July 29 2012

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