An unrepentant Tina Joemat-Pettersson believes there is nothing wrong with energy and petroleum companies paying for a lavish party for her energy department. This week, the minister defended the R1550-a-bottle champagne lunch she hosted at Cape Town's Shimmy Beach Club after her budget speech on Tuesday. She said the event was paid for by independent power producers.When asked about a possible conflict of interest - given that the Department of Energy is set to announce the tender details of the multibillion-rand nuclear deals - Joemat-Pettersson said: "The event shows the whole industry is united in support of the government. Surely, I cannot tell the private sector I am not interested?"This is a very resilient sector. I cannot say no to them."I build relationships, as I do with unions, the ANC, the SACP and other political parties. It is about building our country," said Joemat-Pettersson."I will not reject goodwill and I will not turn a blind eye to it. In fact, I was humbled by the numbers of people who attended," she said.At the function, guests sipped Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label champagne, which sells for R1550 a bottle, and feasted on fresh seafood and sushi. The Shimmy Beach Club in the V&A Waterfront, which caters to the Mother City's rich and famous, was transformed to resemble a trade fair, with energy entities and companies handing out gifts to all-comers.DA MP Gordon Mackay has submitted formal questions to find out exactly who the funders were, citing possible future conflicts of interest when procurement processes for South Africa's intended nuclear deal - estimated to be worth up to a trillion rands - are finalised.When asked by the DA during her budget vote who had paid for the party, she said: "You are," implying that the bill was being footed by taxpayers.story_article_left1However, interviewed later, she said her remark had been a "jibe" and that her department's independent power producer office had paid for it. She said the IPP office had handled the event, and she did not know who the funders were.The minister referred queries to Karen Breytenbach, head of the IPP office, who could not be reached for comment.The acting director-general of the department, Wolsey Barnard, reportedly told the Cape Town daily Die Burger that petroleum companies also helped to carry the cost of the party.Mackay said that although there were no regulations on how much funding could be made available to host post-budget parties, it was "incredibly naive" to think that funders were merely paying for these parties out the goodness of their hearts."There is no such thing as a free lunch - funders are hoping to acquire the influence of ministers and officials by funding lavish events."He said even if venues were paid for, departments still spent millions on marketing material for the functions, which was a "complete waste of taxpayers' money".When asked about the costs associated with the event, Shimmy events manager Nadine Wolfaardt said she was "not at liberty to share information of a private function that was held at our venue".Other after-budget functions included a cocktail party at Pigalle Restaurant in Cape Town for the Department of Environmental Affairs.It was paid for by Vodacom, Coca-Cola and Business Connexion, according to Energy Department spokesman Albi Modise. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development had a dinner at the Townhouse Hotel, while home affairs held a cocktail function in the Langa Civic Hall. It is not known who paid for these events.Political analyst Daniel Silke said the fact that private companies were paying for government departments' parties set a dangerous precedent. "The departments themselves should pay for any function that they have ... it leaves the door open for the companies to attempt to solicit favours," he said. - Additional reporting by Aphiwe Deklerk..