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ActionSA has uncovered yet another sickening display of government excess, this time by the Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, her deputy, and their staff, who have burned through a staggering R16 million on travel while millions of South Africans remain homeless.

Through a reply to ActionSA’s Parliamentary Question, we can reveal that Kubayi and her entourage squandered R5.3 million on just five international trips, while a further R11 million was spent on vague so-called “official engagements” across South Africa’s nine provinces. No details have been provided on what these engagements entailed, when they took place, or what possible justification there could be for such reckless spending.

Kubayi’s response, or complete lack thereof, is a blatant insult to taxpayers. This is yet another example of an arrogant and out-of-touch executive that treats parliamentary oversight with contempt while recklessly burning through state resources.

Where details are provided, they reveal absurd wastage, with some of the most egregious expenditures by the minister including but not limited to:

One night’s accommodation for the Minister in Beijing to attend the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) – R198,040.00

Two nights’ accommodation for the minister to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in San Francisco – R209,614.00

Accommodation for her “personal assistant” for the WEF event – R140,565.00

This is nothing short of fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and no amount of spin can explain how this obscene abuse of public funds benefits the millions of South Africans trapped in poverty, waiting for decent housing.

ActionSA is clear that this era of unchecked ministerial excess must end. While the GNU scrambles to plug a worrying revenue shortfall, ActionSA presents a simple solution that could save taxpayers at least R1.5 billion a year: Scrap all Deputy Ministers and cut the bloated cabinet from 75 to a lean efficient 20.

ActionSA will continue to expose the flagrant wastage by ministers through our GNU Performance Tracker and hold them accountable for the unchecked squandering of state resources, defining this so-called “Government of National Unity” as nothing more than a continuation of ANC misgovernance.

Issued by ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip Lerato Ngobeni