Chabane clears state credit card bill

By Political Bureau

Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane has repaid in full the money he used for personal expenses, but paid for with a government credit card.

His office said yesterday that Chabane had paid the R5 300 that was overdue on his state-issued corporate credit card after he used it to buy emergency groceries for his Cape Town residence.

The Democratic Alliance questioned his use of the credit card after it emerged, through a parliamentary question, that the limit of R15 000 had been exceeded and that Chabane had used it for a personal transaction, in breach of the rules.

Chabane's spokesperson, Harold Maloka, said the minister had been forced to use the credit card as he did not have his personal belongings with him at the time.

The written reply to the DA's question showed that Chabane made a transaction of R108 in August, another of R20 361 in September and a third of R2 304 in October.

Maloka said the account had been overdrawn by R5 361, but the minister had spent only R2 486 on personal goods, while the rest had been official expenses.

• This article was originally published on page 5 of The Cape Times on November 25, 2009