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ActionSA is outraged to reveal, through a reply to our parliamentary question, that the Ministry of Defence under Minister Angie Motshekga and her deputies has blown a staggering R20 185 410 on travel alone since taking office, jetting off to destinations like Vietnam, Cuba, Malaysia, Japan, and Turkey with no discernible justification or benefit to match the cost. 

This obscene splurge comes on top of the R282 million already wasted by the GNU on travel since taking office, as exposed by ActionSA’s GNU Tracker. While ministers sip champagne in foreign capitals, the state of our armed forces is deteriorating, left under-resourced, and most disgracefully, 14 of our soldiers were left for dead in the DRC, while those who have returned have been underpaid their respective danger and related allowances. 

How can the Minister and her deputies possibly justify this obscene spending? Among the most shocking excesses are:

• R4 931 185 blown on car hire
• R5 569 029 wasted on domestic travel
• R3 040 637 squandered on luxury accommodation

This is the portrait of a government that gorges itself on luxury while soldiers who put their lives on the line are denied even the most basic support, and our defence force limps along facing a funding crisis, no doubt exacerbated by the widespread waste illustrated by this obscene travel.

It is precisely for this reason that we are proud to have introduced our Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill, which seeks to slash the obscene perks of the executive and ensure proper oversight of the Ministerial Handbook, as well as the 22nd Constitutional Amendment Billto abolish the position of deputy minister altogether. Together, these reforms would save the country R1.5 billion annually by cutting this bloated, self-indulgent executive down to size.

ActionSA believes that it is time to end the luxury lifestyles of politicians, paid for by hardworking South African taxpayers who are increasingly squeezed by a worsening economy, and instead ensure that we restore dignity to the men and women who serve in uniform in defence of our great country. At the same time, we must focus on building a truly capable defence force that is properly resourced, well-trained and able to serve and protect South Africa both at home and abroad.

Issued by ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip Lerato Ngobeni