Motlanthe tops the spending as former presidents and deputies cost R60m since 2016

Former president Kgalema Motlanthe has cost South Africans close to R17m since the start of the 2016/17 financial year.

Since he resigned in February last year, former president Jacob Zuma has cost R6.5m.

Minister in the presidency, Jackson Mthembu, revealed this figure on Wednesday in response to a question from DA MP Leon Schreiber.

In total, Mthembu's responses showed, the country had spent close to R60m on former presidents and deputy presidents and their spouses for travel, security and accommodation from 2016/17 to present. Exactly R59,472,109.98 had been spent.

Spending on travel, security and accommodation for former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe was the highest of all, at close to R17m. Motlanthe became president between September 2008 and May 2009 after former president Thabo Mbeki was recalled.

In its reply, the presidency said trips undertaken by Motlanthe totalled R4.7m since the start of the 2016/17 year, while R12.2m was spent on all other benefits due to him.

The presidency said the state had spent close to R14m on Mbeki's travel and other expenses in the same period. Trips undertaken by Mbeki totalled about R3m during this period, while R10.2m was spent on all other benefits due to him and his spouse.

The state has spent R5.6m on former president FW de Klerk, R6.7m on former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and R5.4m for former deputy president Baleka Mbete during the period under review.

Zuma became former president in February last year, and so far has cost the state R6.5m. What has been paid for Zuma's travel and other expenses is almost equal to that spent on Mlambo-Ngcuka, and more than the amounts spent on De Klerk and Mbete.

The state spent R70,227 for travel and other expenses for Zuma and his spouses up to March 2018. This increased to just over R4m in the 2018/2019 financial year and R2.4m in the current financial year.