R200m Spent on Travel: ActionSA Slams Government’s ‘Lavish’ Spending

(The Post News)- ActionSA revealed R200 million in travel expenses for cabinet ministers. The party states that these expenses include those incurred since the ministers took office last year. This follows the party’s tracking of the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) performance after each minister, including the President, Deputy President, and Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, responded to parliamentary questions posed by ActionSA.

The party disclosed that Deputy President Paul Mashatile and his staff have spent over R2 million on transport and accommodation since last year, with Mashatile alone accounting for R900,000 for a four-night stay in Japan.
ActionSA MP Lerato Mikateko Ngobeni asked Mashatile to disclose his state travel expenses since taking office on 3 July 2024. Mashatile’s total expenditure since 2024 was subsequently revealed to be R5.5 million. Meanwhile, Mashatile confirmed that he took four international trips since July 2024.
Such international visits were:

Working visits to Ireland and the UK (September-October 2024)
Representing President Ramaphosa at President Duma Boko’s inauguration in Botswana (November 2024)
Attending the extraordinary SADC Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe (November 2024)
A working visit to Japan (March 20)

Nonetheless, Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie reportedly spent R6.6 million, including R164,556 on a cancelled trip to Burkina Faso. ActionSA condemned the R164,556 spent on a cancelled trip to Burkina Faso, calling it a blatant example of wasteful expenditure, funded by taxpayers’ money, and contravening the Public Finance Management Act.
ActionSA’s Alan Beesley argues that South Africans need leaders who prioritize people’s needs over personal privileges, rather than indulging in lavish travel expenses, such as the R200 million spent by the country’s oversized cabinet.
The party has introduced the Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill, a significant legislative effort to rein in extravagant government expenditure and ensure fiscal responsibility, by reducing ministerial privileges and promoting prudent financial management.