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Gauteng Sports and Recreation MEC Lebogang Maile’s blustering response to the DA’s concerns over his recent luxury trip to the 2012 London Olympic Games is unacceptable. The MEC aggressively defended the R1.6 million visit to London in committee, and avoids answering further written questions about the trip and the Sports Village used to justify it by claiming that a full report will be made available in due course.

The MEC’s explanation, that the money was budgeted for and it was part of a work related excursion, is not sufficient. The MEC will only be cleared when a full report indicates the benefit of the trip to the people of Gauteng, who forked out R850 000 for accommodation, R400 000 for travel, and R70 200 for food and drinks for the trip. This amounts to almost R230 000 per person for the visit.

This matter will be a dark cloud over the MEC until he provides the Gauteng Legislature with a full report on the reasons for the trip and the “supposed” benefits derived for the residents of Gauteng. The costly trip is an indictment on a department which, according to its latest report, only met 31% of its total planned targets for the year.

This department splashes out on a trip to London, but fails to spend its funds in key areas such as library and information services and cultural affairs.
The DA in Gauteng will continue to probe this matter until we get full answers.