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Parliament’s Appropriations Committee chairperson, Mmusi Maimane, has called on the government to openly publish the full costs of hosting the G20 over the past year.
He said that while the summit offered South Africa a valuable chance to shine on the global stage, Parliament remained duty-bound to interrogate all public spending.
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Earlier in November, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana allocated an extra R100 million to the G20 budget during the medium-term budget process to fund the final event.
Government Under Pressure After Budget Shortfall
The additional funds followed a disclosure by the Department of International Relations in September that it faced a shortfall on its R700 million allocation for the summit.
Maimane confirmed he has formally written to the finance minister seeking clarity on the total costs incurred throughout South Africa’s G20 presidency.
The leaders’ summit is currently taking place in Johannesburg, marking the conclusion of the country’s term at the helm of the global forum.
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Maimane stressed that questioning the budget should not be viewed as downplaying the value of the G20 as a platform to amplify discussions on global inequality.
“It is also crucial that government is not given a blank cheque on South Africans’ money, to be able to spend on this event, and therefore it’s going to be important as national treasury to account for these funds,” he said.
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He added that it was time for the National Treasury to demonstrate exactly how the funds were used and confirm that spending remained above board.
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