Chairperson, it is appalling that more than a year after the Minister of Finance had promised to investigate and report on the purchase of R130 million's Fifa tickets across various state entities, no announcement has yet been forthcoming.
Promises on investigating fruitless expenditure should never be made in vain. In a country where millions are out of jobs and poverty is deepening it is unthinkable for those who are in government to spend taxpayers' money on self-indulgent pursuits.
Nelson Mandela would never have tolerated such a state of affairs. The Minister of Finance announced in 2010 that he was going to meet with the Auditor-General and chairperson of Parliament's watchdog, the Public Accounts committee, to discuss this issue. Although we are now coming to the end of 2011, the Minister has swept the matter under the carpet.
Hard-earned taxpayers' money has been squandered by the political elite with a taste for the high life. Of particular concern to the nation is the purchase of Fifa tickets. In the Free State a department spent R4 million which cannot even be accounted for.
This situation warrants an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit and the nation is waiting to see when this is going to happen. Cope demands that a report on expenditure on Fifa tickets by government departments and entities be tabled in Parliament without further ado.
Those involved in serious graft must be brought to justice and taxpayers' money must be fully recovered. This issue has been on the back burner for too long and it is time for accountability to begin.