Hard up firms spend big on World Cup tickets: Paper

Struggling South African state-owned firms have spent 110 million rand ($14.23 million) on World Cup tickets angering trade unions which have accused top executives of selfishness, the Sunday Times reported.

The powerful Cosatu umbrella trade union's general secretary Zwelenzima Vavi described the purchase of hospitality tickets by the state enterprises, including South African Airways, power utility Eskom, oil company Petro SA, logistics group Transnet, and some municipalities and state departments as 'outrageous.' 

Eskom, faces a possible strike this week, which could disrupt power supply during the World Cup, after unions at the power utility declined to accept a 8.5% pay rise for the workers and voted to start a wage strike, after reconciliatory talks between the management and unions failed.

Most state enterprises rely on government bail-outs to continue their operations.                                           

"It's the most selfish way of spending money and it is recklessness of the worst kind," Vavi told the Sunday Times.     

"We are appealing to workers to act in the national interest, when their managers are acting in the most selfish way," Vavi said.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), representing about half of Eskom's 32,000 staff, said none of its members benefitted from the hospitality tickets. 

"Only the executives and their wives and their children received tickets," NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told the newspaper.   

Eskom was not immediately available for comment but Transnet's spokesman John Dludlu said his company, which defended the purchase of tickets in a recent presentation to the parliament, would not issue further comment.

South Africa Airways spokesman Fani Zulu is quoted as saying that the airline had given out 1,633 tickets in order to raise its branding.                                           

"SAA used the hospitality packages to enhance its brand value, especially among tour operators, to enhance sales of flights tickets during the tournament," Zulu said.