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South Africans deserve a President who understands that government has no money of its own, that it all belongs to the people and that his unauthorised expenditure means that less is available to deliver service to the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has rejected calls for additional funding for the Presidency, until such time as sufficient details and motivation can be given on how the funds will be used.

This morning officials from the National Treasury and the Presidency appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to present their recommendation on how R28.43 million overspent in 2010/11 should be funded. A previous recommendation to reduce the 2012/13 budget by this amount was previously rejected as “unrealistic” by Deputy Director General in the National Treasury Andrew Donaldson who said at the time that Treasury would be obliged to recommend another solution.

That solution offered today, was for additional funds to be made available from the National Revenue Fund.

Whilst no detail breakdown was given, officials from the presidency suggested that the overspending includes R5.3 million for legal costs, R7.3 million for travel and subsistence and R5.7 million for communication. Under questioning from SCOPA members, Treasury officials agreed that these expenditures were not all unforeseen and could have been more appropriately budgeted.

SCOPA members agreed that more detail on the expenditure is required before it can decide on whether to support the recommendation for additional funds to the Presidency.

In effect, SCOPA is the only parliamentary oversight mechanism over the Presidency available to the people given the constant refusal of the establishment of a parliamentary portfolio committee to oversee the Presidency.

The Presidency cannot continue to operate as if it has an unlimited budget and argue in retrospect, as it did today, that the President is busy and his travel schedule is unpredictable.

Earlier this year, the President suggested that cash-strapped South Africans should tighten their belts, yet he clearly has no intention of tightening his own.