Department of Labour officials like to arrive in style, a claim borne out by the 68% increase in vehicle costs, including chauffeur services, incurred by the department over the past financial year.
According to an auditor-general report on the department’s finances for 2002/03, it spent more than R18-million more on vehicles and short-term rentals than it did in the previous financial year.
The figures went from R39,3-million in 2001/02 to R57,6-million, an increase of 68%, following the department’s decision to ”outsource” the business to a company, Imperial Fleet Services (IFS).
The report says a value-for-money audit was focused ”on the management of the outsourced vehicle hiring service between the department and IFS”.
The audit revealed several ”shortcomings”, and a list of these were sent to the department on June 9 this year.
Besides noting the scheduling of trips and vehicle use was inadequate, and lacked coordination, the report found there was also ”inadequate control exercised over the use of chauffeur-driven services”.
This had resulted in the service ”being utilised even for very short distances”.
The report also criticises the after-hours delivery and collection of vehicles, and says there was inadequate control over the use of vehicles by officials.
It says the department has responded to the auditor general’s concerns, and has undertaken to implement certain control measures during the current financial year. — Sapa