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Replies to Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary questions have revealed that four state entities and departments spent over R5.2-million on purchasing tickets for the World Cup. A significant portion of this amount was spent by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), who spent R 3.3-million on 2 190 tickets.

The replies revealed the following:
SABC - R 3 332 250.00 on 2190 tickets;
Sentech - R1 067 325.00 on 96 tickets;
South African Post Office (SAPO) - R800 000 on 500 tickets; and
Department of Public Service and Administration - R65 400 on 25 tickets

Effectively this means that more than R5-million has been spent by four national departments and entities on subsidising World Cup tickets. How these tickets will be allocated has not been explained. Instead, the parliamentary reply from the minister of communications attempts to hide behind the claim that "identified groups of stakeholders or representatives thereof" will benefit. What that means is anyone's guess.

The question is why those who are well-placed to be able to afford tickets are now getting state-subsidised tickets, when many ordinary South Africans have been unable to get tickets. If anyone should be getting state-subsidised tickets, it is poor South Africans who cannot afford them. Those who can afford tickets should pay their way to the matches; they should not get them free from the state, via the SABC or any other state entity.

For the SABC in particular to spend R3-million on more than 2 000 tickets for its "stakeholders" cannot be justified, given that entity's current financial status. In 2009, the SABC received a R1.4-billion guarantee from National Treasury. The guarantee was awarded with the condition that the SABC would institute cost-cutting measures.

The details that have emerged today raise a number of serious questions:

Firstly, in issuing the directive preventing municipalities from purchasing World Cup tickets, the National Treasury classified the expenditure on World Cup tickets as irregular, as well as fruitless and wasteful expenditure and indicated that any official permitting such expenditure would be liable for it and could face charges for financial misconduct. Why would these requirements not apply to national departments and their entities?
Secondly, in a separate parliamentary reply, the Department of Public Service and Administration specifically emphasises that stakeholders were not permitted to get tickets. Why is it that this rule is not applied equally to other departments of government?
Thirdly, in the Department of Public Service and Administration's reply, it is stated that "tickets were allocated to employees who expressed an interest in attending the event". Again, why should the state be forking out thousands of rands on free tickets for its employees, when the public-at-large still has to pay for their tickets?

The DA will today in Parliament issue a member's statement requesting that National Treasury institute proceedings to scrutinise all purchases of World Cup tickets at national, provincial and local level.