Parliament’s oversight body seeks to crack the whip on SOEs guilty of wasteful expenditure
In addition, members of Parliament also heard how 38 government departments incurred R50 billion in irregular expenditure over the last five years.
Picture: Xanderleigh Dookey-Makhaza/Eyewitness News.
CAPE TOWN - Parliament's standing committee on appropriations wants a meeting with state-owned enterprises (SOEs) guilty of wasteful expenditure like the SABC and Eskom.
This comes after the Auditor-General (AG) informed the committee that SOEs have racked up R69 billion in irregular expenditure, with more than R2 billion in fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
In addition, members of Parliament also heard how 38 government departments incurred R50 billion in irregular expenditure over the last five years.
The AG on Tuesday briefed the standing committee on the “perennial offending departments” regarding irregular, wasteful and fruitless expenditure.
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SOEs also incurred fruitless and wasteful expenditure of over R2 billion with the Post Office and the SABC the top two culprits.
Bongi Ngoma, the head of audit at the AG, says little has been done to address this.
"Over the years there’s been very little action done in dealing with irregular expenditure."
The committee's chairperson, Mmusi Maimane, says they want to meet with those responsible like the SABC, Eskom and Transnet.
"The SABC will be coming to account and equally so we have written to Eskom Holdings to also do likewise."
The AG said irregular expenditure can be addressed through establishing the root causes and dealing with those responsible.