By More Matshediso
Pretoria - Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has slashed international travel by officials as a cost-cutting measure.
The department said the Minister announced this in a written reply to a question in the National Assembly on Thursday, after the department had spent around R123 million on travel expenses between 2012 and now.
“When I assumed responsibility, I noticed that too much time and resources were spent on domestic and international travel, which comprised big delegations. To be in line with government prescripts, I have put strict measures on both domestic and international travel,” the Minister said.
He said the department has used three travel agents since April 2012 to date, including Chanti Travel, Tirisano and Duma Travel.
The department said it has spent R12 million with Duma Travel from April this year to date. But the overall budget for Chanti Travel was R53 million in 2012, and R58 million with Tirisano Travel in 2013.
“The message has been communicated to all staff that the size of the delegations will be kept at a bare minimum without compromising the quality of work we need to do,” Minister Mthethwa said. - SAnews.gov.za
