Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu, spent almost R700,000 on a single trip to the UK and France in October last year.<\/p>\n
The Democratic Alliance said that the department could have supplied a 7,000W generator to nearly 70 small businesses with that money.<\/p>\n
In reply to a parliamentary question<\/a> posed by DA MP Toby Chance, Zulu revealed that she spent R689,000 on the trip.<\/p>\n Zulu said that she received an invitation from the CEO of the Women Forum for Economy and Society, Ms. Jacqueline Franjou, to attend the 11th edition of the Women\u2019s Forum Global Meeting on the Economy and Society in Deauville, France.<\/p>\n She also received an invitation from Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to attend and participate in the 11th Session of the South Africa-UK Bilateral Forum in London.<\/p>\n The DA said that that the department should be assisting entrepreneurs in establishing small businesses and in turn provide jobs to the millions of unemployed South Africans, not attending ‘talk shops’ which have no clear objectives and goals.<\/p>\n The opposition party said it was mystified by how Minister Zulu could have spent almost R700,000 on her trip.<\/p>\n It noted that The Treasury guidelines on foreign travel state that Ministers may only fly Business Class when travelling abroad; not First Class. The guidelines further stipulate that Ministers may only take up to two delegates on a foreign trip and that these delegates must fly Economy Class.<\/p>\n A return ticket to London First Class costs between R80,000 and R100,000, while economy class costs between R15,000 to R18,000.<\/p>\n “Zulu\u2019s excessive spending abroad comes in the wake of the Minister and her department putting forward complaints about the lack of funding for their programmes to boost small business development in South Africa,” said Chance.<\/p>\n SA public service only a little bit corrupt: minister<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Tender corruption is killing small businesses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on South Africa<\/h3>\n