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DASO exposes maladministration of NMMU student funds

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Dear MyPE

Today, DASO presidential candidate, Hlomela Bucwa, and I revealed the maladministration of the NMMU SRC budget.

Under the leadership of the SASCO led SRC there has been gross maladministration and wasteful expenditure going on behind the scenes. This is unacceptable and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

It is common cause that the Department of Student Governance and Development exercises oversight on the budget of the SRC. However, the effectiveness of this oversight function is brought into question for two reasons.

The first being that it is evident from the financial records of the SRC that the SRC Officer employed for this function by the Department has on numerous occasions approved expenses that are against the resolution of the Management Committee regarding SRC expenditure.

Secondly, in most transactions, the expenditure is dramatically different from the proposed budget which was tabled before and approved by the student body at the first sitting of student parliament.

We have found that:

  • R 37 409 went to SASCO members personnel academic fees. 258 students paid for these 7 SASCO members education.
  • R 169 138.80 was spent by the SASCO lead SRC at restaurants and other catering services. Often in small amounts just over R150, which is enough to feed one person at a restaurant.
  • SASCO has bought their lunch with students’ money.
  • 1167 students paid for SASCO SRC members to have lunch and meetings when students still do not have meal allowances with NSFAS.
  • R 78 034 was spent on SASCO members sleeping in guesthouses. R 21 000 was spent on Jabula lodge, specifically.
  • R 103 580 was given to one person, SV Ncalu.
  • The SASCO led SRC paid their treasurer and Secretary General an extra R 22 000.
  • Sitha Gqomfa, who served on the SRC for 3 months, received multiple payments of over R 12 000.
  • The current SRC Secretary General was also paid R 10 000.
  • Recently, R 5000 worth of sponsorships were allocated from the SRC to SASCO for an event.
  • The SRC has an operational budget of R 1 918 806. The SASCO led SRC has spent R 1 671 356 by the 7th of August 2014, which is only half way through the year.
  • The SRC used student funds to hire vehicles which is in contravention of University policy

The Treasurer General is required to prepare and present financial reports quarterly. However, this has been ignored and the Department of Student Governance and Development has allowed it. The SRC Constitution goes as far as also mandating a compulsory yearly audit. This too is a sanction the Department of Student Governance and Development has failed to oversee for a number of years.

It raises serious questions of integrity. DASO NMMU demands that the Department of Student Governance and Development looks into this issue as a matter of urgency.

We are demanding that the SASCO led SRC is held accountable for their actions and repay these public funds that essentially should belong to all students. We will not accept this!

Regards

Yusuf Cassim
(DA Youth Chairperson)

Editor:
Some of the larger (R30 000 and over) amounts from the provided document:

  • 17 January – R45 0000 to Magumbi Marketing
  • 21 January – R39 800 to All in All
  • 21 January – R45 000 to Mademuvane Trading CC
  • 05 February – R45 000 to Mademuvane Trading CC
  • 11 February – R30 000 to SRC Sponsor BtC
  • 14 February – R37 875 to Mademuvane Trading CC (in 3 payments on the same day)
  • 03 March – R35 500 to N.I Ncalu and S.V Ncalu (in 3 payments on the same day)
  • 17 March – R194 610 to Emfuleni Resorts (Pty) Ltd.
  • 20 March – R37 500 to Sitshaba Trading Enterprise CC
  • 09 April – R34 816 to Emfuleni Resorts (Pty) Ltd.
  • 09 April – R31 996 to Tradelane Management 18 – cheque cancelled on 14 April
  • 15 April – R37 000 to Iwisa Trading (Pty) Ltd.
  • 15 April – R31 996 to Tradelane Management 18
  • 12 May – R35 848 to ReSound

I can report that the Down South Restaurant received a lot of ongoing custom from 24 February to 24 July 2014 in the amount of R76 340,68. Unfortunately I do not know of any Down South Restaurant in Port Elizabeth – there is one in Cape Town though. OR it could be the registered trading name of the local on campus restaurant.

I see a payment of R7 000 to the DA on 17 February but no payment to any other political party.

Another interesting set of 8 payments totalled R40 400 to Mfuleni Investments CC. In 2010 Mfuleni were the second applicant along with Vodacom in the matter arising from the disputed award of tender 188 of 2009 for the provision of mobile voice cellular and related services brought by Vodacom against the Municipality and MTN.

Interesting enough the SRC spending patterns continue on a smaller scale for the last few weeks of this report – presumably as they realised that he jig was up and that no more money would be forthcoming from fee paying students or hard working taxpayers for that matter.

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Port Elizabethan

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