Ramaphosa’s government spends R450 million on overseas trips

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Cabinet spent over R450 million in their first 18 months in office travelling around the world.

According to ActionSA MP Alan Beesley, the party consolidated written replies from different ministers on their travelling costs since July 2024.

The party also used their GNU performance tracker to calculate the overall costs.

“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,” Beesley said.

Who are the big spenders in Ramaphosa’s government?

The big spenders include the Ministry of Human Settlements, under Thembi Nkadimeng, they spent R32.98 million.

The charismatic Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina spent R29.57 million.

Women, Youth and People with Disabilities Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga spent R25.27 million.

She allegedly spent R5 million on air tickets since assuming office.

Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, under axed Minister Dion George, replaced by the DA’s Willie Aucamp spent R24.41 million.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office spent R24.17 million.

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Beesly questioned the importance of all these trips and whether the country has benefited from cabinet ministers travelling overseas at huge costs.

“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,” he said.

He said a number of ministers had spent an enormous amount of money on travel and accommodation for just a few nights overseas.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau, 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, 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 (UK).

ActionSA targets Cabinet reform and executive oversight

ActionSA has since proposed new laws that will regulate perks for public office bearers; they also believe appointing deputy ministers is a waste of money.

“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,” he said.

He said some ministers were evasive, while others were did not want to provide the party with their travel and accommodation costs.

Ministers who did not provide their travel information

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, allegedly withheld travel cost details by invoking vague and unjustified security considerations.

Ntshavheni is in charge of state security.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile allegedly 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 allegedly allowed questions to lapse by failing to submit updated travel expense Information.

Deputy ministers’ travel costs

Deputy ministers are also guilty of spending enormous amounts of money on flights and accommodation.

“Deputy ministers have proven equally complicit in this culture of excess.

“Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy minister Zuko Godlimpi spent more than R650,000 on local car rentals in his first eight months in office.

“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,” he said.

ANCYL on US trip by SA government

During a Peter Mokaba Lecture in the North West, ANCYL president Collen Malatji also spoke out against cabinet ministers who venture on fruitless trips overseas.

Malatji specifically mentioned Ramaphosa’s trip to the White House last year.

He believes the president and all the ministers that went to Washington to meet US president Donald Trump must pay back the state for that trip.

Malatji claimed he saw no value in that meeting.

“Everyone who went to the USA must pay back that money we did not send them there they went their on their own,” he said.

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