SA Gov. spending on WC Tickets reaches R 110 Million

Cash-strapped Eskom, SAA splurge on tickets

Wild spending on Cup games uncovered in parastatals, provinces

Jul 4, 2010 12:00 AM
Prega Govender, Sunday Times

Government departments, municipalities and state-owned enterprises have splurged over R110-million on World Cup tickets and hospitality packages. This is more than double what has been publicly declared.

Eskom - which is locked in last-minute negotiations to avoid a potentially disastrous strike by staff - is one of several parastatals who collectively spent a staggering R80-million. The embattled power utility alone splashed out R12-million.

South African Airways bought 1749 tickets just two months before receiving a R1.6-billion bailout from the government, in December 2008. It is the biggest spender on World Cup tickets so far, laying out R23-million.

PetroSA and Transnet jointly spent R24-million, while the Free State provincial government and the Mangaung municipality in the province collectively spent almost R22-million.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi yesterday slammed the spending as outrageous.

"It's the most selfish way of spending money and it is recklessness of the worst kind," he said.

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