Question NW3759 to the Minister of Finance
13 December 2017 - NW3759
Shivambu, Mr F to ask the Minister of Finance
(1)Whether (a) his department and/or (b) entities reporting to him procured services from a certain company (Travel with Flair); if so, (i) what services were procured in each case and (ii) what is the total amount that was paid to the specified company in each case; (2) whether the specified company provided services related to international travel to (a) his department and/or (b) entities reporting to him; if so, (i) what is the name of each person who travelled, (ii) what was the travel route and (iii) what is the total amount that was paid for each person?
Reply:
NATIONAL TREASURY
(1)(a) National Treasury appointed a certain company on contract for the period July 2008 to November 2010.
(1)(a)(i) The following services were procured: Air travel; Accommodation; Car rental; Chauffeuring services and Venue hire.
(1)(a)(ii) |
2008/09 |
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
Total |
R22 914 518.12 |
R33 675 655.41 |
R32 720 835.50 |
R89 311 009.03 |
(2)(a) Yes.
(2)(a)(i- iii) The department is not in a position to provide such detail.
ASB
The Accounting Standards Board has not procured any services from Travel with Flair.
CBDA
(1) (b) Co-operative Banks Development Agency uses the service provider of National Treasury for all travel services. The service provider is WingsNaledi Travel Management.
DBSA
- (b) yes once in 2015
- For booking accommodation
- Total amount was for R 12,366.90
- (a)(b) No
(i) (ii)(iii) N/A
FSB
1. (a) Not applicable
(b) No, in respect of the Financial Services Board
2. Not applicable
FIC
(1)(b) The Financial Intelligence Centre does procure services from Travel with Flair.
(1)(b)(i) Services procured include finding appropriate flights and accommodation for official travel as per Travel Policy.
(1)(b)(ii) No payments to date as a new contract with Travel with Flair commenced on 1 November 2017. Costs for upcoming payment include:
-
- Hotel accommodation R16 855
- Airline tickets R35 496
- Travel agent’s service fee R 3 790
(2)(b) Travel with Flair has provided services to the Financial Intelligence Centre in the form of bookings and travel arrangements for official international travel as per Travel Policy.
(2)(b)(i) Official: Ms N Mtshali.
(2)(b)(ii) Travel route: Johannesburg/Seychelles/Johannesburg.
(2)(b)(iii) Amount incurred: R47,000.00 (accommodation and travel agent’s service fee)
GEPF
The GEPF does not make use of the service provider, Travel with Flair.
GPAA
(1)(b) Yes, between 2010/11 and 2015/16, the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) procured services from Travel with Flair (i.e. Travel with Flair was the appointed service provider for all travel of GPAA officials).
(1)(b)(i) The following services with associted costs were procured from Travel with Flair for the period mentioned in response (1)(b) above:
Description |
Amount (R) |
Local Air Travel |
19,416,396 |
Road Transport |
1,477,135 |
Local Accommodation |
40,294,735 |
Car Rental |
7,430,749 |
Foreign Air Travel |
120,948 |
Foreign Accommodation |
71,981 |
(2) whether the specified company provided services related to international travel to (a) his department and/or (b) entities reporting to him; if so, (i) what is the name of each person who travelled, (ii) what was the travel route and (iii) what is the total amount that was paid for each person? NW4253E
Responses
(2)(b) Yes, between 2013/14 and 2015/16, the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) procured services from Travel with Flair relating to international travels of GPAA officials.
(2)(b)(i),(ii),(iii) See below for names of officials travelled overseas including routes and amount.
Name of official |
Route |
Amount (R) |
Dr Clifford Ferguson |
London, UK |
32,605 |
Dr Clifford Ferguson |
London, UK |
27,237 |
Mr Goolam Aboobaker |
London, UK |
71,043 |
Mr Jay Morar |
California, USA |
33,425 |
Dr Sefiso Khumalo |
Ottawa, Canada |
28,619 |
IRBA
- (b)The IRBA has never procured services from Travel with Flair.
- (b)Travel with Flair has never provided the IRBA with services related to international travel.
PFA
The Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator has never made use of the services of Travel with Flair.
LAND BANK
Land Bank has not procured any services from Travel with Flair. Travel with Flair is currently not a registered vendor on the Land Bank service provider database. To date, no payments were made to Travel with Flair by Land Bank.
FAIS OMBUD
1. (a) Not applicable
(b) The FAIS Ombud has procured services from Travel with Flair. The details for the current and previous financial year are as follows:
Date |
Services |
Amount |
June 2016 |
Flights and transfers for graduate trainees to attend interviews for graduate trainee programme |
R58 389.29 |
June 2016 |
Flights, accommodation and transfers for annual report launch video |
R10 206.94 |
November 2016 |
Flights, accommodation and transfers for graduate trainee programme to East London law school |
R17 799.08 |
November 2016 |
Flights, accommodation and transfers for graduate trainee programme to Cape Town law school |
R24 329.70 |
November 2016 |
Flights, accommodation and transfers for graduate trainee programme to Polokwane law school |
R20 211.99 |
March 2017 |
Transport to Insurance Seminar |
R1 314.10 |
March 2017 |
Transport to Credit Ombud launch |
R1 434.10 |
June 2017 |
Flights and transfers for graduate trainees to attend interviews for graduate trainee programme |
R16 753.98 |
August 2017 |
Flights, accommodation and transfers to Gauteng and Cape Town for annual report launch video |
R21 514.70 |
October 2017 |
Flights, accommodation and transfers for attendance of FPI conference in Cape Town |
R8 432.58 |
October 2017 |
Flights, accommodation and transfers for graduate trainee programme to Cape Town |
R20 950.73 |
2. (a) Not applicable
(b) Travel with Flair did not provide any services related to international travel for the FAIS Ombud during this financial year. In the previous financial year, an order was placed with Travel with Flair for travelling to the International Ombud Schemes conference, which was held in Yerevan. This order was, however, cancelled following terror attacks at the Turkey airport, which was to be the airport where connecting flights would have been boarded.
PIC
1. The Public Investment Corporation followed a procurement process in line with its procurement policies and the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999) at the beginning of 2016, where after Club Travel was appointed as service provider for the PIC. During the financial year 2016/17 to date no services were procured from Travel with Flair.
2. Rest of the question falls away.
SAA
1. Travel with Flair does not appear on SAA‘s supplier system as a supplier or having been paid for any services. The heads of division and subsidiaries have also confirmed that they have not procured any services from Travel with Flair. Accordingly, SAA has not procured any services from Travel with Flair.
2. Travel with Flair has not provided services related to international travel to SAA.
3. Travel with Flair is a travel agency and as such has a retail trade agreement with SAA, which entails that they book and ticket SAA’s passengers for commission. In essence, Travel with Flair is part of SAA’s distribution channel.
SARS
SARS does not have Travel with Flair as a vendor on its system and has not contracted any services from the said entity.
SASRIA
Sasria SOC Limited have not used Travel with Flair to procure services.
TAX OMBUD
The Office of the Tax Ombud has never procured any service from Travel with Flair.