By Dylan Bettencourt
- Sizakele Magangoe stayed at a five-star New York hotel where rooms can cost R105,000 a night, with a private butler included.
- The social development department admitted spending R3-million on the trip for 82 delegates, while other government departments also spent millions.
Deputy director-general for welfare services Sizakele Magangoe went on a luxury trip to New York that cost taxpayers more than R1-million only a week after getting the job.
According to the Sunday Times, Magangoe stayed for more than two weeks at the five-star St Regis hotel in Manhattan. Rooms there can cost up to R105,000 a night and come with a personal butler.
Her return flight alone came to R178,892, almost double the usual business class fare. Her bill also included R419,000 in transfers and R40,000 in travel allowances.
The Department of Social Development later explained that the transfer costs were listed under Magangoe’s name but were meant to cover transport for the entire group.
She was part of a South African delegation of 82 people who attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York. The department admitted that it spent R3-million on the trip. Other government departments spent millions more.
Governance expert Harlan Cloete said the spending raised serious concerns. “South Africa is battling. People are scratching for food, and when you hear about this kind of spending, you can only ask: ‘Where did we go wrong?’” he said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office confirmed he approves travel only for ministers. Departments manage the costs of their officials.
This was not the only expensive trip. Last year, Minister Sisisi Tolashe and five officials travelled to Colombia for another international conference at a cost of R1.4-million.
Cloete said ordinary people deserve answers. “Look at the size of delegations and ask the important question for ordinary South Africans: are we getting value for our money?”
Pictured above: Sizakele Magangoe.
Image source: DSD
