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Cape Town - The national department of transport has admitted to splurging R76m on four conferences it hosted.
Minister of Transport S'bu Ndebele has provided parliament with details of this expenditure, which was incurred between 2007 and 2009.
The fact that the transport minister attended only one of the conferences has raised questions about their importance and worth. The cost list includes cocktail parties, entertainment, advertising as well as nearly R12m for shuttling VIPs to and from conference venues.
One conference - the Special Africa-India Ocean Regional Air Navigation Meeting held in November 2008 - cost R27m, of which R16m was spent on functions, R2.4m on venue hire, R1.2m on advertising and R4.6m on VIP transport. An average of R60 000 was spend per delegate.
Another event hosted last year, which involved hosting African Union (AU) maritime transport ministers, cost R25.8m.
At this event, R4.6m was spent on VIP and delegate shuttle transfers, R1.7m on branding and media relations, R860 000 on equipment and furniture rental, R1.5m on technical and audio visual costs and R933 000 on cocktail, gala, exhibition and plenary events.
At a conference for AU ministers responsible for roads, R623 676 was spent on entertainment and R5.4m on accreditation centres and marquees. The total amount came to R 18.7m for 450 guests, at a cost of R41 718 a guest.
Only one conference was attended by then-minister of transport Jeff Radebe, while the only other cabinet minster present at any of these meetings was former deputy president Baleka Mbete, who put in an appearance at the Special Africa-India Ocean Regional Air Navigation Meeting.
- Fin24.com
