The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) condemns the under achievement versus the utilisation of the budget on school infrastructure by the Department of Basic Education.

The department has spent 93 percent of its budget whereas it has implemented less than 50 percent of its targets for the 2016/17 financial year.

The Committee has noted that there are poor monitoring mechanisms in the department as the implementing agents of the department get away with not following proper supply chain regulations and legislation.

There seems to be inadequate monitoring mechanisms on scholar transport. Scopa could not get sufficient responses from the department on why it was not meeting its targets.

Scopa has requested the department to forward written responses to the Committee with details on the suppliers used for scholar transport and on the kind of vehicles that these suppliers use.
 

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of Scopa, Themba Godi