How your hard-earned tax-rands are being spent

One of the advantages of having an opposition party which hounds the ruling party like a rabid dog is that we, the public, are thrown some tasty scraps. Sure, the DA has an agenda, but they are also one of the few entities which have the resources and determination to nail the government when it steps out of line.

Take, for example, their Wasteful Expenditure Monitor — a nifty tool which catalogues all government expenditure that the DA deems wasteful. Currently, the running expense total is sitting at R79-million — pretty steep for a country in the grip of a recession.

And while the DA's nosy neighbour routine does, at times, grow tiresome, they may well have a point when it comes to taxpayer rands.

Are you happy that your hard-earned tax-rands have been spent on government bashes, new cars, and hosting an ousted Haitian president?

We've selected some tasty titbits from the DA's expenditure list…

Bashes: R18 030 369

• R43 000 — Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Economic Development held a party to celebrate their budget vote speeches.
  
• R33 300 — Department of Science and Technology budget vote party.
  
• R10.6-million — The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Zweli Mkhize's inauguration party.
  
• R7-million — Money spent on the opening of the Free State legislature.
  
• R104 407 — Department of Public Service and Administration budget vote party.

• R41 558 — Department of State Security budget vote party.
  
• R65 639 — The Department of Health held two parties to celebrate its budget vote speech in the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.
  
• R52 365 — Department of Home Affairs budget vote speech party.
  
• R90 000 — North West Education Department pampered their officials at a day spa.

Vehicles: R18 665 177

• R2.4-million — Department of Communications: two new BMW 750is with extras.
  
• R1.7-million — Department of Education: BMW 730D and Range Rover Sport TDV8.
  
• R11-million — Free State Provincial Cabinet: 10 Mercedes-Benz S500s and one Mercedes-Benz S600 for Premier Ace Magashule.
  
• R796 003 — Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: Mercedes-Benz S350 plus extras.
  
• R1 362 361 — Department of Police: BMW X5 3.0D and BMW X5 Si.3.0.
  
• R1 406 813 — Department of Science and Technology: two Mercedes-Benz S250s.

Advertising: R6 200 000

• R700 000 — Two full colour advertisements in the Sunday Times (R490 000) and the City Press (R209 000) to promote the minister of correctional services' budget vote speech.
  
• R5.5-million — A new tourism website for the Durban City Council.

Accommodation: R20 442 000

• R200 000 — the National Commissioner of Correctional Services and the Gauteng Commissioner have been renting property (R30 000 and R35 000 per month respectively) despite both having access to official residences.
  
• Over R20-million — The South African government has been hosting the ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide at a cost of R5-million a year since 2004. He enjoys the same privileges as a Cabinet minister (car allowance, security and accommodation).
  
• R242 000 — Parliament spent at least R120 000 hiring hotel venues for committee meetings, despite the availability of parliamentary meeting rooms. Approximately the same amount was spent on accommodation.