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Government defends art trip to Atlanta

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
Johannesburg, 28 Aug 2015
Communications minister Faith Muthambi has defended a trip to the Atlanta Lifestyle Hub Show and Santa Fe Folk Art Market.
Communications minister Faith Muthambi has defended a trip to the Atlanta Lifestyle Hub Show and Santa Fe Folk Art Market.

The Department of Communications (DOC) has come under fire for using taxpayers' money to fund a nine-day trip to the Atlanta Lifestyle Hub Show and Santa Fe Folk Art Market in the US. This amid questions as to why the department would need to attend these kinds of events.

The DOC says communications minister Faith Muthambi together with her delegation, travelled to Atlanta as part of an invitation extended by the Department of Small Business Development.

Muthambi's delegation travelled to the US with several South African men and women to help them exhibit their creative arts in Atlanta. Muthambi describes the trip to Atlanta as one of various meetings with stakeholders, including young ambassadors.

"We need strategies for broadcasting content; we will soon have multiple channels, we need to brace ourselves for that moment, and the meeting with the creative industry in Atlanta paved the way for collaboration," she says.

"It is not known what the true justification for the trip was; however, it does appear on the surface that it was a state-funded junket for the minister and her staff," says ICT analyst and Strategy Worx CEO Steven Ambrose.

Numbers game

In a parliamentary response about the purpose and costs of the trip to Atlanta, communications minister Faith Muthambi provided a breakdown for accommodation, ground transport, flight tickets and allowance for herself and three members of her delegation, which amounted to R593 516.18.

Muthambi's delegation included her chief of staff, protector and assistant director in the office of the director-general.

The minister said the ticket, service fees and insurance for herself amounted to R116 607.72, while the same services for her staff would amount to R349 823.16.

The minister's ground transport in Atlanta and Santa Fe amounted to R31 980.90, while travel and daily subsistence allowance was R11 619.70. The same services for her delegation, which was made up of three members of her staff, amounted R46 464.93. This all amounts to R556 496.41.

The Democratic Alliance took the DOC to task about this expenditure, with DA member of parliament Gavin Davis describing the minister's trip to Atlanta as "an extraordinary waste of public money at a time when our cabinet ministers should be tightening their belts".

In response to the DA, the DOC refuted the sum of the expenses as disclosed by Muthambi in parliament, noting the minister only indicated the estimated costs.

"The DOC would like to put it on record that minister Faith Muthambi did not spend R600 000 as claimed by Mr Gavin Davis from the Democratic Alliance," says a DOC statement.

"The DOC has a mandate to support the development of the creative industries, particularly in relation to content development in the country. It is, therefore, incorrect for Mr Davis to insinuate that the trip has little to do with the work of the department."

However, Ambrose comments that the content of the shows did not appear in any way related to the minister's portfolio responsibilities.

Bigger issue

While the DOC and DA quibble about rands and cents, Ambrose says it is not a significant sum, and in the context of the budgets of the various departments, it is not a huge amount of money, especially if translated into US dollars.

However, Ambrose notes: "The issue here is the motivation for the trip, not the amount spent. Trips of this nature are not uncommon and if they are properly motivated and in the interests of the country then they must go ahead."

He adds: "The government has not historically been transparent in sharing information regarding trips of this nature and it seems there is a knee-jerk response once they are uncovered to justify the expense. Any expense of taxpayers' money should be able to stand the scrutiny of the public who pay these people's salaries; excuses and justifications after the fact smack of arrogance and is a blatant disregard for the public they serve."

Tripping up

This is not the first time Muthambi has gone on a trip with questionable relevance to her portfolio as well as to the communications department.

In July, the minister was in China to attend the 2015 Ministerial Workshop on Development and TV Media for developing countries. The event focused on the development and management of radio and TV media exchanges and cooperation between China and developing countries.

Ambrose says there should be far greater transparency in approval processes of expenditure of this nature (international trips), along with far greater focus on deliverables within each department.

He notes: "The DOC has not covered itself in glory with regard to service delivery and this makes any form of wasteful expenditure not related directly to the functions of the department a significant issue."

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