Note to Editors: Copies of the Parliamentary replies referenced are available upon request.
ActionSA can reveal that Ministers in the Government of National Unity (GNU) have racked up nearly R450 million in travel and accommodation expenses in their first 18 months in office, a figure that is set to balloon beyond R500 million as outstanding parliamentary replies are finalised.
This spending, compiled through ActionSA’s GNU Performance Tracker and based on replies to parliamentary questions paints a damning picture of executive indulgence. At a time of deep economic crisis, with 12 million South Africans unemployed and essential public services severely lacking, this level of spending reflects an alarming profligacy and an out-of-touch misuse of taxpayer funds,
For the first 18 months since GNU Ministers took office, the biggest-splurging departments are:
- Human Settlements, under VBS-scandal-tainted ANC Minister Thembi Simelane: R32.98 million
- Water and Sanitation, under ANC Minister Pemmy Majodina: R29.57 million
- Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, under ANC Minister Chikunga: R25.27 million
- Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, under axed DA Minister Dion George, replaced by the DA’s Willie Aucamp: R24.41 million
- The President’s office, under ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa: R24.17 million
A culture of executive indulgence is evident across GNU departments, with several instances of travel spending that are grossly disproportionate to both duration and public value. The most egregious examples include:
- Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau, whose office spent R2.12 million on just three nights in New York in September 2024, followed by a further R1.5 million for a one-week trip to Washington, DC in July 2024;
- Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, who incurred R2.75 million for a seven-night visit to New York in September last year, alongside R1.33 million for two days in Brazil and R1.18 million for a one-week trip to the United Kingdom; and
- the Office of the Minister for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, which has spent nearly R5 million on international air tickets alone since assuming office.
Evasiveness in the responses to ActionSA’s parliamentary questions reveal a consistent pattern of disregard within the Cabinet for Parliament’s constitutional oversight role and the public’s right to transparency. This culture of disdain for accountability cuts across the GNU, as demonstrated by the following examples:
- the Minister in the Presidency withheld travel cost details by invoking vague and unjustified security considerations;
- Deputy President Paul Mashatile declined to provide updated figures after ActionSA exposed the cost of his Japan trip, which included more than R900 000 for four nights of hotel accommodation;
- Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson and Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi allowed questions to lapse by failing to submit updated travel expense information, while Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube evaded accountability by providing weak excuses about administrative capacity constraints;
- Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso took an extraordinary 11 months to submit a response that remained incomplete;
- Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie delayed nearly six months before publicly deriding as “sadistic” expectations that ministers should travel in a manner consistent with the circumstances of the people they serve; and
It was not only GNU Ministers who indulged in the lavish perks of executive office. Deputy Ministers have proven equally complicit in this culture of excess. Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi spent more than R650,000 on local car rentals in his first eight months in office, while his since-axed colleague, Andrew Whitfield, spent R530,000. In the Department of Health, the Deputy Minister’s office spent R1.05 million on a four-day trip to Japan. Meanwhile, a reply from the Department of Home Affairs shows that between July and November last year, the Deputy Minister spent almost four times more than the Minister on local travel and nearly 37% more on international travel.
It is precisely this culture of executive waste and evasiveness that ActionSA seeks to end. That is why we have introduced the Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill, designed to rein in the extravagant perks enjoyed by Ministers. In addition, our Constitutional Amendment Bill proposes the complete abolition of all 32 Deputy Minister positions, an outdated and wasteful layer of government that South Africa simply cannot afford.
South Africans deserve leadership that puts people before perks and not a R450 million travel spree by the world’s largest cabinet. ActionSA will not allow the political elite to hide behind bureaucracy and live in luxury while South Africans struggle. We will continue to expose waste, demand accountability and fight for an ethical government that respects every cent of the people’s money.
ActionSA Exposes GNU Ministers’ R450 Million Travel Splurge in First 18 Months
Note to Editors: Copies of the Parliamentary replies referenced are available upon request.
ActionSA can reveal that Ministers in the Government of National Unity (GNU) have racked up nearly R450 million in travel and accommodation expenses in their first 18 months in office, a figure that is set to balloon beyond R500 million as outstanding parliamentary replies are finalised.
This spending, compiled through ActionSA’s GNU Performance Tracker and based on replies to parliamentary questions paints a damning picture of executive indulgence. At a time of deep economic crisis, with 12 million South Africans unemployed and essential public services severely lacking, this level of spending reflects an alarming profligacy and an out-of-touch misuse of taxpayer funds,
For the first 18 months since GNU Ministers took office, the biggest-splurging departments are:
A culture of executive indulgence is evident across GNU departments, with several instances of travel spending that are grossly disproportionate to both duration and public value. The most egregious examples include:
Evasiveness in the responses to ActionSA’s parliamentary questions reveal a consistent pattern of disregard within the Cabinet for Parliament’s constitutional oversight role and the public’s right to transparency. This culture of disdain for accountability cuts across the GNU, as demonstrated by the following examples:
It was not only GNU Ministers who indulged in the lavish perks of executive office. Deputy Ministers have proven equally complicit in this culture of excess. Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi spent more than R650,000 on local car rentals in his first eight months in office, while his since-axed colleague, Andrew Whitfield, spent R530,000. In the Department of Health, the Deputy Minister’s office spent R1.05 million on a four-day trip to Japan. Meanwhile, a reply from the Department of Home Affairs shows that between July and November last year, the Deputy Minister spent almost four times more than the Minister on local travel and nearly 37% more on international travel.
It is precisely this culture of executive waste and evasiveness that ActionSA seeks to end. That is why we have introduced the Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill, designed to rein in the extravagant perks enjoyed by Ministers. In addition, our Constitutional Amendment Bill proposes the complete abolition of all 32 Deputy Minister positions, an outdated and wasteful layer of government that South Africa simply cannot afford.
South Africans deserve leadership that puts people before perks and not a R450 million travel spree by the world’s largest cabinet. ActionSA will not allow the political elite to hide behind bureaucracy and live in luxury while South Africans struggle. We will continue to expose waste, demand accountability and fight for an ethical government that respects every cent of the people’s money.