Venda and Sotho textbook order blunder costs R123m

A TEXTBOOK order blunder during the 2016-17 financial year cost the provincial department of education R123-million to fix.

The amount run up by an official or officials who ordered textbooks in Venda and Sotho was written-off as unauthorised expenditure.

According to a report compiled by the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), the audited financial statement of the department for the year indicate that the department incurred unauthorised expenditure of R174.5-million.

This included R123-million which was overspent on goods and services due to the order of incorrect textbooks, while the R51-million was spent on compensating employees for overtime worked during marking of external exams.

The committee has called for a disciplinary action to be taken against those responsible for the textbook blunder and has recommended that the total amount of the unauthorised expenditure be appropriated without funding from national government.

Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday Scopa chairman, Max Mhlathi said the textbooks were printed in a language not used in the Eastern Cape and had to be sent back to the suppliers and a new order had to be placed.

“This happens almost every year where someone makes the mistake of ordering textbooks printed in Venda and Sotho and no one is ever held accountable for this costly mistake. The books are ordered in Bhisho by a company appointed by the department and we are saying someone needs to be disciplined for this,” said Mhlathi.

He said the committee was informed of this blunder late last year and it conducted hearings which were attended by the department’s accounting officer and certain senior officials.

“The committee recommends that the total amount of R174.5-million incurred be appropriated without funding. The funds were incurred for [in the] public interest but the expenditure could have been avoided by adhering to the adjusted budget appropriations,” he said.

“The committee further recommends that disciplinary action must be taken against responsible officials for failure to manage the budget. The department must also submit to the committee corrective measures that will be implemented to avoid future recurrence of unauthorised expenditure.”

Questions were sent to the department regarding this matter, however no responses were received by the time of writing yesterday.