Annual reports which detailed outsourced state work between April last year and March this year, showed generous outlays on flowers, interior decoration, awards functions and work which could have been done in-house, City Press reported.

According to the newspaper various government departments spent R143 million of taxpayers' money.

Parliament reportedly spent more than R3m on plants and flowers, and the presidency spent almost R28 million on the presidential review committee on state-owned enterprises.

Details of the committee's costs were handed to Cabinet last month and had yet to be made public.

City Press reported that the environmental affairs department spent R40 million on an exhibition, including the construction of a temporary exhibition centre, to showcase the government's conservation efforts during COP17.

Another R55 million was spent on awareness campaigns.

The public service and administration department spent more than R550 000 on its centre for public service innovation awards.

This included R70 500 on a "voting gadget", R69 900 on sound hire and R281 580 to record the event, the newspaper reported.