From free haircuts to R7m pension investments and Sandton estates, MPs’ declarations in the 2025 register of members’ interests illustrate the varied proximity between personal wealth and public responsibility in SA’s new parliament.
The register provides a procedural basis for tracking potential conflicts of interest as required by section 48 of the Financial Management of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act.
In addition to the publicly released register, MPs are required to submit a second, confidential declaration of interests administered by the office of the registrar and reviewed by the joint ethics committee, which includes sensitive disclosures not made available to the public.
This confidential register captures gifts received by immediate family members, liabilities, and interests deemed security-sensitive or market-dependent.
Under the ethics committee’s powers in the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, MPs must disclose any financial interest that could reasonably be expected to influence parliamentary work.
The register is binding, submitted under oath, and subject to ethics committee review, with disciplinary implications in cases of material nondisclosure.
Spanning 400 entries, the register shows at least 112 MPs own more than one residential property, and 56 MPs disclosed rental income from housing, student accommodation or municipal lease agreements.
DA MPs Adrian Roos and Andrew Whitfield disclosed five and three properties respectively, while ANC veteran Supra Mahumapelo declared more than 20 parcels of land, including hospitality-linked commercial stands in the North West.
MK MPs Brian Molefe and Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla each declared high-value residential holdings, with Molefe’s 168ha farm among the largest disclosed private estates.
More than a quarter of ActionSA’s caucus listed property trusts, pension-linked annuities or active rental income.
Athol Trollip, ActionSA’s parliamentary leader, declared a R7.05m investment with Glacier and NFB Private Wealth Management, three residential properties, and Airbnb income from his Cape Town apartment when not in use for parliamentary duties.
In contrast, DA MP Natasha Mazzone declared she received “hair styling and colouring – R3,500 a month” from a private salon, Palladium Hair Company.
The entry appears under complimentary services, not as a personal quote or statement, and is formally listed as a declared benefit under the register’s disclosure of hospitality.
Deputy president Paul Mashatile’s register included five properties, two property-linked trusts and diplomatic gifts linked to Brics forums and foreign delegations.
Travel and donor hospitality were dominated by trips to Taiwan, China and Israel, and policy-related NGOs such as SAFI and Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
Declarations show that at least 47 MPs undertook sponsored foreign travel between January and June, ranging from multilateral forums to study tours and trade delegations.
However, the deputy president now faces a formal reprimand and financial penalty following an ethics committee investigation into a breach of the code of ethical conduct.
On Thursday, the joint committee on ethics and members’ interests resolved to recommend that the National Assembly impose a R10,000 fine and an in-house reprimand on Mashatile for failing to declare a gift, a diamond received by his wife from businessman Louis Liebenberg — in the confidential section of his register.
Noting that while the deputy president argued he awaited formal appraisal before declaring the diamond’s value and had since surrendered the gift to the National Prosecuting Authority, procedural compliance required immediate disclosure.
The complaint was lodged on March 5 2025 and the committee’s investigation reportedly drew on both the deputy president’s submission and the confidential section of his register.
The DA has signalled intent to pursue further action based on a whistle-blower affidavit, alleging that the diamond was intended for Mashatile directly and selected at his residence in Waterfall Estate.
The register identifies structural trends in property use — such as private ownership of buildings rented to provincial departments, municipal workshops, or for departmental housing.
Several IFP and MK MPs disclosed commercial rentals in Ulundi, Pietermaritzburg and Glenwood, often linked to student accommodation, taxi operations or multi-unit dwellings.
The parliamentary asset environment is increasingly shaped by opaque trust structures. Over 39 MPs declared roles as trustees or beneficiaries, though valuations are rarely disclosed.
MK MPs such as Mzwanele Manyi and James Matutu hold private trust and share interests exceeding R5m, while several DA and FF Plus MPs declared property-linked family trusts.
However, the lack of third-party trust beneficiary disclosure and absence of binding external valuations weakens the register’s transparency.
While section 48 of the Public Finance Management Act requires conflict-sensitive disclosure, the ethical code remains voluntary in valuation and reliant on member self-assessment.
The ethics committee is expected to release its audit of disclosure completeness in the third quarter, before the medium-term budget policy statement.
No enforcement mechanism exists to compel market-based valuations, independent asset audits or donor travel quantification beyond nominal summary.
The register confirms growing disparities in asset concentration between traditional party caucuses and new entrants.
ActionSA, Rise Mzansi and MK collectively account for 12 of the top 20 wealth declarations, surpassing the ANC’s historical dominance.
However, the variation in declaration detail — from precise share breakdowns to uniform “nothing to disclose” statements — raises serious compliance inconsistencies.
While some MPs submit financial breakdowns with attached valuations, others omit ownership footprints entirely, relying on legacy declarations or silence.
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