Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Solly Msimanga MPL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng has submitted a motion of censure against the Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), Morakane Mosupyoe, for the disgraceful waste of R5.9 million on a trip to Venezuela.
The DA demands accountability against those who misuse the public purse for personal gains. We strongly disapprove of the wasteful expenditure of taxpayers’ money, particularly by politicians voted for by the public to represent them and officials hired to deliver services.
The Speaker must be reprimanded for her appalling judgement on wasting money on this trip. This trip, which took place in November 2025, consisted of 13 people: the Speaker, four members of the GPL, and seven staff members. A total of R5 997 895 was spent on this trip, with each member of the delegation receiving an allowance of R125 000,00 for being out of the country.
According to the documents provided to the Oversight Committee of the Office of the Premier (OCPOL), the Speaker claimed that the reason for the trip was to deepen diplomatic relations with Venezuela and that South Africa was the guest of honour. The exhibition was only for four days, and BrandSA already had an exhibition at the International Tourism Fair of Venezuela (FITVEN).
This means that there was no need for the GPL to be at the FITVEN as South Africa was already represented by BrandSA. The delegation attended the four-day tourism conference, but the rest of the trip cannot be explained. This action by the Speaker was solely for personal interests, specifically to increase the stipend received for being out of the country on legislative business.
This was a blatant waste of taxpayers’ money and should not have taken place at all. Wasting money on a trip when service delivery in the province is floundering indicates that the Speaker cares little about the well-being of Gauteng residents.
See documents here, here, and here.
The trip to Venezuela is not the action of responsible leadership; instead, it is one of leadership that looks for loopholes to steal from the public purse. Building diplomatic relations is a crucial responsibility of any government; however, it should not come at the expense of providing basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation and caring for the most vulnerable residents of this province.
The DA Gauteng is the only party that is committed to spending the public purse openly and transparently. A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would make wise spending decisions, prioritising service delivery.