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The 2011/2012 Annual Report of Minister Fikile Mbalula’s Department of Sports and Recreation (DSR) has revealed that more than R37 million was spent on travel and subsistence.

The Public Protector is currently conducting an investigation into allegations of fruitless and wasteful expenditure by Minister Mbalula and his Deputy, Gert Oosthuizen, after it had previously emerged that more than R2.6 million was spent on their international and domestic flights between April 2010 and early 2012.

The DSR expenditure of R37 million represents a R6.6 million increase in spending on travel and subsistence from the previous financial year. It appears that, despite the on-going investigation by the Public Protector, Minister Mbalula and his department are content to continue using public funds in support of their jet-setting lifestyles.

The extravagance of the DSR’s spending patterns has not been limited to globetrotting.

The 2011 Sports Award gala cost R45.9 million, with R8 million coming from the National Lottery Board, despite these funds having been earmarked for Olympic athletes, and R12.1 million from the DSR.

Minister Mbalula’s grandiose vision for his department does not seem to take budgetary constraints into account, as evidenced by his attempts to get Beyoncé to perform at the 2012 Sports Awards – at a reported cost of R17 million.

I will be submitting a parliamentary question to Minister Mbalula asking for a breakdown of the department’s travel and subsistence spending over the past year. The fruitless and wasteful expenditure of public funds needs to be investigated, and the Minister held to account.

The Department of Sport and Recreation must focus on supporting South African athletes and developing stars of the future - not attempting to set new records for frequent flier miles using public funds.