With the government bill for World Cup soccer tickets now over R130-million, the finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, says he plans to meet parliamentary leaders to discuss the excesses.

Directors general in departments that splurged on tickets for the Fifa soccer world cup will be held responsible for inappropriate spending, the finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, said.

Gordhan wrote to local governments and other departments ahead of the world cup to warn them against using state funds to buy match tickets.

But answers to questions put by the Democratic Alliance show that departments and state-owned enterprises have spent more than R130-million on tickets and hospitality packages.

Gordhan said he would soon meet the auditor general and the chairman of parliament's spending watchdog, the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) to discuss a review of the spending.

"While there may be legitimate reasons for buying tickets to advance the business case of public enterprises and government departments, concern has been raised as to what action may be taken should the Auditor-General deem this expenditure wasteful or fruitless," Gordhan's treasury said in a statement.

"The Public Finance Management Act (for national and provincial government) and the Municipal Finance Management Act (in the case of local government) clearly outlines that the responsibility to ensure that public funds are not wasted rests with accounting officers.

"This would be the Director-General in the case of a national department and municipal manager in the case of local government. Each Director-General is in turn accountable to Parliament for the expenditure of public funds. Parliament is the authority responsible for approving budgets and authorising the transfer of funds from the National Revenue Account to the relevant departments.

"The Minister reiterates his call for civil servants to live up to their moral contract with citizens and for restraint and discernment to be exercised in the use of public funds," the treasury said.