DA youth accuse NYDA of irregular spending

Protestors burnt monopoly money and sang anti-National Youth Development Agency songs.

DA youth leader, Mbali Ntuli said, “We have come here to put pressure on National Youth Development Agency to stop wasting our money. To say government must stop allowing the National Youth Development Agency to misuse money set aside for the youth. All the organisation has done is to enrich themselves.”

Ntuli alleged that the agency’s directors collectively earned R11 million every year and had spent R28 million on travel and accommodation in the last year. “That R28 million was part of a larger R133 million in irregular expenditure,” she said. “Government reports show that National Youth Development Agency misses 95.5 percent of their targets. Just last week the agency’s employees got an 18 percent salary increase. Funny how they never fail to pay themselves those millions of rands in bonuses.”

Siyabonga Magadla, spokesperson of the agency responded and said, “The National Youth Development Agency has noted with concern, ongoing negative and distorted coverage of the NYDA financials following the tabling of the NYDA 2012/2013 Annual Report by Minister in the Presidency responsible for Perfomance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Chabane.”

Magadla said the agency received an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor General. “The Auditor General’s report has noted significant improvements in the reduction of irregular expenditure which dropped from R133 million in 2011/2012 to R62 million in the year 2012/2013. While the accounting authority is pleased with this significant progress it continues to implement measures aimed at total prevention of irregular expenditure.”

She added that it was not uncommon for any organisation or institution to pay its staff performance bonuses. “This is done in line with signed performance agreements with staff at the start of each financial year.”