Minister Gayton McKenzie defends travel costs, insisting all international trips were disclosed to Parliament. He has dismissed “luxury travel” claims, highlighting economic impact and personal sacrifices in fulfilling ministerial duties.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Sports, arts and culture Minister Gayton Mckenzie has defended his department’s travel expenses, insisting there was no attempt to hide costs, following claims by ActionSA that he had concealed his international travel.
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, McKenzie said he wanted to clarify reports that his travel had been secretive.
This comes after ActionSA MP Dereleen James had previously criticised McKenzie, saying he “has once again chosen evasion over accountability by failing to fully account for the costs associated with more than 20 luxury, taxpayer-funded trips undertaken, as required by the official parliamentary question.”
James described the Minister’s response as “a bloated travelogue masquerading as a clear answer to the full cost breakdown requested and required,” noting that both McKenzie and his Deputy had failed to disclose the actual expenses of numerous international trips.
ActionSA said the undertook 12 international trips to destinations including Brazil, Russia, Singapore and Spain, yet failed to disclose a single cent of the associated costs.
James said his Deputy followed the same script, detailing eight international trips to countries such as Morocco and India, while equally omitting what these journeys cost the South African taxpayer.
''Suspiciously, the complete silence on domestic travel expenditure is concerning, particularly given that he was specifically required to account for it. The refusal to disclose the costs associated with both the Minister and the Deputy Minister raises one unavoidable question: what is the Minister hiding?.''
James said this is the same Minister who previously branded the suggestion that Ministers fly economy as “sadistic.”
''In a country where 12 million South Africans are unemployed this reflects a government elite increasingly detached from the daily struggles of ordinary citizens,'' she said.
Responding to these allegations, McKenzie said Parliament had received full disclosure of all trips and costs, and that any confusion in the media arose from a missing attachment in correspondence, for which Parliament had apologised.
“I was in the news yesterday, where ActionSA said that I have hidden my traveling costs, where Mashaba and all these people were boasting that I have hidden the traveling costs. I just want to put it categorically here that I have not done that. I’ve given them all the places I traveled to. I’ve also given the money. The Deputy Minister also gave all the information. We did no such thing,” he said.
McKenzie criticised opposition parties for portraying ministerial travel as a luxury, stressing that the costs should be considered in the context of economic impact.
''When you deal with people who don’t understand input and output cost, it becomes a problem. People in Action, as I say, don’t understand. Because Liv Golf, we probably spend between one and two million on flights and travel costs. That was the input. The output is a billion in our economy. That’s my first point.
“The second thing that ministers don’t want to talk about, and I’m going to talk about it today. When we get out of every schedule, we want to cry sometimes. This is not, you cannot equate, you know, politicians, certain politicians are equating a flight with luxury. There’s nothing luxurious about a flight,” he said.
He illustrated the challenges of ministerial travel with detailed examples of his own trips.
He recalled attending the G20 summit in Brazil, flying from South Africa to Dubai, then Brazil, spending six hours at the summit, and flying back the same evening, a total of 21 hours each way.
On a separate trip to Scotland, he flew 12 hours from South Africa to the UK, then 1.5 hours to Scotland for a three-hour meeting before returning immediately.
“There is nothing luxury. Being a cabinet minister comes with international travel. Most of those meetings are necessary, but it’s not luxury for us,” McKenzie said.
He highlighted the strict procedures governing ministerial travel, including submitting travel schedules, obtaining presidential approval, and reporting on outcomes.
McKenzie also addressed the misconception that ministers automatically fly business class, explaining that ministers with less than ten years of service are required to fly economy, a rule he said he personally follows despite being far from the ten-year threshold.
''So as you all know, I'm very far from 10 years. And at this, I might not make 10 years,'' he said,
McKenzie also highlighted the personal sacrifices involved in ministerial travel, pointing out that long trips mean being away from family and working under strenuous conditions.
“Who wants to be away from the family and fly 24 hours and is there for four hours? You just go, take a quick shower, and you’re out. There is no luxury in this,” he said
He added that all travel information had been provided to Parliament, and that criticisms were often politically motivated, especially during election periods.
“The Deputy Minister has given all the information, I’ve given all the information, and we know it’s election time. Even now I can say, they’ll say I was so drunk at this press conference because it’s election time,” McKenzie said.
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