R200m in flights, hotels, and perks: GNU ministers’ costly year

GNU

Cape Town – Ministers in South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) have spent over R200 million on travel expenses since July last year, according to ActionSA’s GNU performance tracker.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile and his staff alone spent more than R2 million on travel, including trips to Ireland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Japan.

According to  The Citizen, the deputy president was accompanied by a high-level delegation including multiple ministers and senior staff, with detailed costs provided for each.

He met with Japanese political leaders and business groups, promoted investment, and delivered a keynote at the United Nations University as part of aligning South Africa’s G20 Presidency with Japan’s African engagement.

While costly, the trip was described as essential for fostering political and economic partnerships with Japan—South Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner.

Expenses included:

  • R613,214 on flights

  • R1.2 million on accommodation

  • R410,926 on ground transport

  • R8,033 on laundry

  • R51,393 on restaurant services

ActionSA MP Alan Beesley criticised this as “executive indulgence” and “wasteful expenditure,” saying it reflects continued ANC-style excess under the GNU.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, led by Minister Gayton McKenzie, also spent over R2 million on 11 international trips. Notably, R164,556 was paid for a cancelled trip to Burkina Faso, raising questions about financial oversight, Times Live reported.

“Not only is this spending exorbitant but it is riddled with red flags, gaps and inconsistencies. The public paid for flights and accommodation for an event that was abandoned, a textbook case of wasteful expenditure, as defined by the Public Finance Management Act,” the report quoted Beesley as saying.

“Unless the minister can demonstrate that this loss was unavoidable and efforts were made to recover the funds, this reflects a serious failure of financial oversight and internal control.”

To curb such waste, ActionSA has proposed the Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill, aiming to reduce ministerial benefits and enforce fiscal discipline

Article written by