Johannesburg - North West social development MEC Mosetsanagape Mokomele-Mothibi admitted using R174 000 of taxpayers' money to attend the 2012 ANC elective conference in Mangaung, according to a report on Wednesday.
Mokomele-Mothibi admitted in a statement from the provincial legislature that she used the money to pay for her friend and officials to go to the conference and undertook to pay the money within a week, Business Day newspaper reported.
She and senior managers from her department appeared before the standing committee on provincial accounts on Tuesday, after it was claimed she attended the conference using taxpayers' money.
A friend used a room meant for the department's chief financial officer, who was unable to attend due to illness.
Committee chairman Hlomane Chauke said her admission had been welcomed, but that the committee would reconvene to make further recommendations to the legislature.
Democratic Alliance leader in the North West Chris Hattingh said the case should be referred to the police's commercial crimes branch.
He said the DA would continue to demand full disclosure of all provincial government spending at the ANC conference, as Mokomele-Mothibi's matter was unlikely to be an isolated incident.
Sapa