South Africa's Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has referred questions about her official travel costs to the parliamentary joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI). This move comes after ActionSA MP Dr. Kgosi Letlape questioned Ntshavheni about her travel expenses since taking office in July 2024. Letlape sought a detailed breakdown of Ntshavheni's official trips, including costs and purposes. Ntshavheni's decision to refer the matter to the JSCI has sparked interest in the transparency of government officials' travel expenses.
Letlape's query was prompted by Ntshavheni's practice of sharing some of her official trips on social media platform X. He questioned why Ntshavheni publicly disclosed some trips while not providing information through parliamentary scrutiny. Letlape's request included details about the purpose and justification for each trip, destinations, and costs incurred. He also sought information about accompanying support staff and their respective costs. Ntshavheni responded that publicly disclosed trips are those of a public nature, while all trip information is provided to the JSCI.
Ntshavheni's response did not provide a breakdown of her travel costs, but it did disclose expenses for her deputy ministers, Nonceba Mhlauli and Kenneth Morolong, and their support staff. Between July 3, 2024, and March 31, 2025, their travel expenses totaled approximately R4.1 million. The costs increased to about R6.4 million for the period from April 2025 to February 2026, bringing the combined expenditure to around R10.5 million. The disclosure provides insight into the travel expenses of Ntshavheni's deputies.
Deputy Minister Mhlauli and her support staff accounted for approximately R3.14 million in travel expenses across the two periods. The expenditure included about R1.6 million for car rentals, R530,744 for accommodation, and R964,673 for flights. The purposes listed for Mhlauli's travel included ministry outreach programmes, parliamentary and constituency work, and stakeholder engagements. The disclosure highlights the various activities undertaken by Mhlauli during her travels.
Deputy Minister Morolong and his support team accounted for approximately R7.36 million in travel expenses over the two periods. The expenditure included about R3.27 million for car rentals, R2.22 million for accommodation, and R1.56 million for flights. Morolong's travel purposes included parliamentary duties, imbizos, outreach programmes, and district development model engagements. The significant difference in travel expenses between the two deputy ministers raises questions about their respective travel activities.
The travel expenses disclosed for Mhlauli and Morolong were incurred for various official activities, including presidential imbizos, the state of the nation address, and other Presidency programmes. The breakdown of expenses provides a glimpse into the activities undertaken by the deputy ministers and their support staff. The disclosure is expected to provide transparency and accountability in the use of government funds for travel purposes.
The referral of Ntshavheni's travel costs to the JSCI has sparked debate about the transparency of government officials' travel expenses. The disclosure of expenses for Ntshavheni's deputies provides insight into the travel activities of government officials. The scrutiny of travel expenses is expected to continue, with the JSCI likely to play a key role in ensuring accountability and transparency in the use of government funds.
Key points
- The travel expenses of Deputy Ministers Mhlauli and Morolong totaled approximately R10.5 million between July 2024 and February 2026.
- Minister Ntshavheni referred questions about her travel costs to the parliamentary joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI).
- The disclosure of travel expenses for Ntshavheni's deputies provides insight into the activities undertaken by government officials during their travels.
