Gauteng has acted responsibly on credit card usage
21 Feb 2013
The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) would, once more, like to set the record straight regarding the usage of official credit cards by Members of the Executive Council (MECs).
Firstly, MECs who are allocated credit cards are expected to use their official credit cards on official trips to cover whatever necessities which may arise. These can include the purchase of gifts for official guests or even paying for accommodation.
As the Gauteng Provincial Government, we are confident that the credit facilities have been used for their intended purposes and we can account for the monies spent on these facilities since we assumed office. We have also taken action where it is suspected that there may have been misuse of the facilities.
Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's credit card facility has a monthly limit of R100 000. However, the premier has only used R45 000 over the past two years. The funds were used as part of her work of hosting official GPG guests, among others.
It must be noted that MECs have to be operational wherever they go and in that vein the MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development and Social Development, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, used some of the funds to purchase stationery. Over the same period, the Finance MEC, Mandla Nkomfe, used the facility to pay for maintenance of his official vehicle.
Clearly, all the MECs used the facilities to help them effectively carry out their duties; something that the facilities were meant to assist with in the first place.
As the GPG we always support public scrutiny and have always been open about the usage of credit cards by MECs and other senior technocrats.
We strongly believe that while there may have been some challenges regarding the usage of the credit cards in the past; we have taken the necessary steps to reduce the rate of such incidents. We have also embarked on a review of the guidelines governing the use of credit cards which we expect to finalise by the end of the financial year.
Statement issued by Thebe Mohatle, Gauteng Office of the Premier, February 21 2013
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