Gayton McKenzie In Trouble Over R67 Million Department Spending

The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) has uncovered R67 million in irregular expenditure at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, which is headed by Minister Gayton McKenzie.

The findings have raised concerns about the department’s financial management and accountability. The audit also identified R1.68 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure across 11 entities, as well as weaknesses in internal controls and financial oversight within the department and its related institutions.

According to the report, irregular expenditure has increased significantly over the past two financial years. The department initially declared R10.43 million in irregular spending for the 2024/25 financial year. However, the Auditor-General’s investigation established that the actual figure was R42 million.

The amount increased further to R67 million during the 2025/26 financial year. The AGSA warned that the total could be even higher because the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex and Robben Island Museum were unable to determine the full value of their irregular expenditure.

The department’s accumulated irregular expenditure also remains a major concern. Although the balance decreased slightly from R861 million to R839 million, a substantial amount remains unresolved.

Irregular expenditure does not necessarily mean that money has been stolen. Instead, it refers to spending that does not comply with the required financial and procurement procedures, including rules governing competitive bidding and official approvals.

Fruitless and wasteful expenditure, on the other hand, involves money spent unnecessarily or without achieving the intended benefit, such as paying for services that were not used or incurring costs that could have been avoided through proper planning.

The Auditor-General also raised concerns about unspent grants, budget overruns and weaknesses in financial supervision.

These problems could affect the delivery of public programmes because the department is responsible for funding initiatives involving sports development, arts and culture, as well as the protection of South Africa’s heritage sites. Money lost through poor financial management could otherwise have supported community sports facilities, artists and heritage preservation projects.

Responding to questions in Parliament, McKenzie said the department had developed an audit action plan that was reviewed by its Internal Audit unit.

He explained that the plan was designed to address the underlying problems identified during the 2024/25 audit. Corrective actions have reportedly been allocated to the relevant programmes, with specific deadlines for implementation.

According to the minister, progress is monitored through quarterly reports submitted to departmental management and the Audit Committee.

Parliament is expected to monitor the implementation of these measures to determine whether they lead to meaningful improvements in financial management.

Future audit reports will indicate whether the department has managed to reduce irregular expenditure, improve its internal controls and strengthen accountability, or whether the financial problems continue.

For taxpayers, the main concern is whether the department’s promised reforms will result in better management of public funds and improved delivery of the programmes it is responsible for.

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