South African members of Parliament (MPs) were clearly informed of the procedures applying to the travel voucher scheme — now the subject of a forensic audit — as far back as August 2001, according to a circular issued by Parliament.
In terms of circular L19 of 2001, MPs were told that they were entitled “at the expense of Parliament” to undertake between 50 and 70 economy class journeys “on any sector of the national internal airlines services” on production of a travel warrant. National Assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala has also emphasised that the travel warrant voucher itself “also stipulates the restriction of use for air tickets”.
These details have emerged since the launch of an investigation by Parliament earlier this year into fraud in the use of warrants for accommodation, car rental or for claiming flights not actually taken.
While parliamentary authorities still won’t be drawn on whether individual MPs are guilty of wrongdoing, six travel agencies have been accused of defrauding Parliament by presenting inflated claims for travel by MPs but no MP has been implicated so far. Payments to the agencies of R3,5-million have been stopped.
Since April when secretary to Parliament Sindiso Mfenyana made public allegations that Parliament had been defrauded through the issuing of invoices for travel tickets for routes that members did not travel, the costs of the alleged scam have risen from about R750 000 to R4-million.
While the number of MPs being investigated is not clear at this stage, Ginwala indicated that cases “across the spectrum” of political parties in Parliament were being investigated. Parliamentary authorities are clearly seeking proof of any collusion between travel agencies and MPs in altering warrants.
The circular points to the fact that a Cape Town based MP is allowed 40 single flights a year while a Western Cape MP “whose constituency offices are more than 80km from Cape Town” is allowed 50 flights while all other members are allowed 60 single journeys.
In addition, dependents — children or step children — are allowed eight flights a year. Under certain circumstances parents of an MP or parents in law, if they are dependent financially on the MP, are allowed two flights a year.
No provision is made for the vouchers to be traded in for accommodation or car rentals.
A member with 20 more years of parliamentary service — which only applies to those serving in the pre-democracy parliament — may be issued with special travel warrants enabling him/her or his/her spouse or companion to travel business class.
However, if there are no seats available in the economy class when a booking is made the member may upgrade to business class upon payment of the cost of the additional airfare — but he or she may then claim 80% of the additional payment back from the secretary to Parliament. The circular says “the airline or travel bureau concerned must certify the travel warrant to the effect that the economy class was fully booked”.
This too is qualified by the use only of a maximum of four travel warrants of the combined total annual quota of a member and his/her spouse or companion or dependents.
Two MPs have previously been reprimanded by Ginwala for misuse of travel vouchers — they are Khatliso Moeketse, an African National Congress (ANC) MP who allowed a friend and a friend’s child to travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town, and John Ncinane, also an ANC MP, who used coupons issued to his children. Both were reprimanded in 2000.
Alleged wrongdoing by National Council of Provinces chair Naledi Pandor’s husband and by ANC MP Danny Oliphant — alleged to have an involvement in Eyabanthu travel agency — have been denied.
Similarly, New National Party MP Carl Greyling told the Sunday Times he had been billed by one agency for journeys through Umtata in the Eastern Cape although he had never been there. His colleagues Dirk Bakker and Kobus Gous said they had never abused their vouchers and hoped the investigation would expose those involved in the scam. – I-Net Bridge