Note to Editors: Please note Tim Brauteseth, MPL sound bite in English
The DA calls on KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN’s) SCOPA and Treasury to urgently enforce accountability and implement the full might of the law following ongoing and increasing irregular, fruitless and unauthorised expenditure within KZN’s Departments of Education, Health and Transport.
Despite a marginal decrease in annual irregular expenditure, the cumulative figures – as revealed in the 2025 SCOPA Treasury Report – paint a dire picture with;
• KZN’s Department of Transport (DoT) leading with a staggering R34.4 billion in irregular expenditure
• The Department of Health (DoH) following closely with R24billion and;
• KZN’s Department of Education (DoE) coming in at R5.7billion.
These figures reflect systemic failures within Supply Chain Management (SCM), expired contracts and non-compliance with procurement regulations – all issues that have plagued these departments for years.
In terms of fruitless and wasteful expenditure;
• The DoH’s expenditure increased by 95%, driven by expired stock and HR-related mismanagement
• The DoE, while showing a 70% reduction in fruitless expenditure, still incurred R62million due to overdue accounts and legal fees and;
• KZN’s DoT inefficiencies continued to cost taxpayers millions in interest and reconnection fees.
Unauthorised expenditure remains a critical concern. Education and Health alone account for over R2.9billion, with SCOPA forced to extend repayment terms to seven years – an indictment of poor financial discipline.
As a responsible partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA demands urgent and decisive action on accountability measures. The raft of acting HoDs and CFOs within KZN’s government departments creates instability and does not bode well for a tight internal control environment.
Consequence management must go beyond internal reprimands and the DA calls for criminal investigations into suspected fraud and corruption, along with civil recovery of funds from those found liable. Officials, including HoDs as Accounting Officers, found to have violated the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) must be held accountable through prosecution and dismissal.
KZN’s people deserve better. These three departments are entrusted with the most vital public services – education, healthcare and mobility. Fiscal recklessness undermines service delivery, erodes public trust and the culture of impunity must end.