Shame on you for millions wasted

As a taxpayer, just the news you didn’t want to hear – another R10 million of your hardearned cash down the drain as a result of dodgy behaviour from South African diplomats.

In response to a parliamentary question, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor revealed the department (Dirco) paid out almost R10 million in lost deposits for “property damage” since the end of 2015.

The minister reported that R9 393 429 has been lost due to damages to property, deposits being used by landlords for maintenance work and repair of damages, or the leases being terminated by missions outside the terms and conditions.

Dirco has lost deposits from 101 properties rented abroad for diplomatic purposes.

Darren Bergman, the DA’s spokesman for international relations and cooperation, said: “The DA cannot help but wonder how many vaccines or PPE could have been bought, or grants been paid, had this money not been thrown in the water by negligent and reckless diplomats who, through their actions, are painting South Africans in a bad light, directly contravening their mandate to build brand South Africa.

“We are therefore of the view that diplomats should be held directly responsible for damages they cause. Diplomats should be held to the age-old standard ‘you break it, you buy it’, or at least pay for the damages incurred.”

Considering some of the multibillion-rand scandals that have rocked the country over the past decade, or the copious amounts of cash thrown into the bottomless pits of many state-owned enterprises, R10 million pales in comparison to those howlers.

Let’s not even mention the billions lost from state capture.

But it’s still our money being squandered … money that could have used to feed the poor, to aid small companies for lost revenue due to the lockdowns, or for the fight against the coronavirus.

What’s probably even more concerning is that this reckless behaviour comes from government-appointed officials.

Do they have no shame?

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