Mashatile defends ‘wasteful’ expenditure on international trips

The office of Deputy President Paul Mashatile has defended his international travel expenses which have sparked criticism.

In a parliamentary written reply, Mashatile provided a breakdown of his international travel costs for transport and accommodation since taking office last year. He said he has been on international trips to Ireland, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Japan which cost more than R2m.

During his Japan trip, Mashatile was accompanied by several ministers and deputy ministers, including:

• minister of sport, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie;
• minister of agriculture John Steenhuisen;
• minister of higher education Dr Nobuhle Nkabane;
• minister of trade, industry and competition Parks Tau;
• deputy minister of international relations and cooperation Thandi Moraka; and
• deputy minister of science and innovation Nomalungelo Gina.

Among other costs, Mashatile and his wife spent more than R900,000 on four nights' accommodation in Japan, sparking criticism from ActionSA, which called it “wasteful expenditure” that could be spent on building decent homed for those in need.

Mashatile's office clarified the deputy president did not “misuse state funds or was extravagant in financing the costs of his international travel”.

It said the visits were necessary to advance the global agenda.

“The office of the deputy president wishes to reiterate Mashatile undertakes all international working visits not in his personal capacity but on behalf of the government as delegated by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“Moreover, the most these strategic international visits are aimed at strengthening existing bilateral, political, economic and diplomatic relations between SA and visited countries,” Mashatile's office said.

His office reiterated the Japan visit was of the same importance.

“The Japan working visit achieved several key objectives, including representing the first high-level engagement between SA and Japan in the past 10 years, signalling an acknowledgment and appreciation for the long-standing relationship between the two countries based on a wide area of cooperation not limited to trade and investment.

“The visit was beneficial in terms of SA's African Agenda, the confluence of SA's G20 chairship and Japan's hosting of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in August, presenting a unique opportunity for SA to communicate its own and the continent's position and priorities to Japan and the expected support and role Japan could play in this regard.”

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