DA bemoans planned Usaasa Christmas splurge
The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa), which reports to the Department of Communications, plans to spend R1,408 per person on a Christmas function. This is according to DA shadow Minister of Communications, Marian Shinn.
This was confirmed by Communications Minister Dina Pule in reply to a parliamentary question asking for details of planned spending on Christmas parties in her ministry, department and the entities reporting to it, Shinn said in a statement on Thursday (22 November).
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), the regulator for the South African communications sector, planned to spend R862 per person; Sentech R363; the SABC R254; and the department R660, according to the DA.
The SABC’s planned R926,060 party still needed approval by the group’s executive management, Shinn said.
Usassa intends spending R100,000 on Christmas entertainment for 64 staff and seven board members, the DA claimed.
In a statement ,the opposition party said that the Minister’s reply claims the expense is justified “to alleviate pressures undertaken by staff in this year and to appreciate staff for the co-operation and flexibility shown during the forensic,” (sic). This sentence in the Minister’s reply is incomplete, the DA said.
“The pressure, I assume the Minister alludes to, is the entity’s participation in the forensic audit, nearing completion, into the financial maladministration that led to the suspension of Usassa’s top management last year and the non-executive directors of the board being released from their responsibilities,” Shinn said.
The DA noted that Usassa is under executive caretaker management and was without a board until September. The entity has been criticised by the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications for failing to meet 91% of its targets in 2010/11, and for excessive spending on management salaries and bonuses while it was not functioning.
Its first quarter expenditure for 2012/13 is 82% under target.
“I will write to Minister Pule to request that Usassa exercise restraint in using the public purse to reward well-paid public servants who have had very little success in their endeavours this year,” Shinn said.
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