MARIANNE MERTEN: McKenzie’s Paris trip showcases state’s cavalier attitude to spending taxes

The saga of sports minister Gayton McKenzie’s R804,597.71 ministerial trip to the Paris Olympics underscores how civil servants and their political bosses scorn ethical spending of tax rand, and how processes and oversight within government fail. 

When in his 2013 medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) then finance minister Pravin Gordhan gave government spending a “haircut”, cancelling government credit cards, limiting them to business class on overseas trips and spelling out what cars they could buy, he spoke of the need to save and invest more so that the economy expanded and diversified to support accelerated job creation. 

“We have to see much better accountability and discipline in the stewardship of public resources,” Gordhan said. That has become a well-worn refrain that finance minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to repeat in today’s MTBPS. 

Yet civil servants still spend taxpayers’ money at will, and their political bosses all the way up to the presidency don’t stop them. McKenzie’s first trip as a government of national unity (GNU) minister underscored how institutional corruption hollows out the state. It flourishes as institutional memory is lost and, as auditor-general after auditor-general has pointed out, there is a failure to act against transgressors. 

A year ago taxpayers not only paid for McKenzie’s predecessor, Zizi Kodwa, to attend the Rugby World Cup in Paris, but also shelled out R446,339 for former police minister Bheki Cele’s personal assistant to accompany him to the rugby final. Cele, who cost taxpayers R33,256 in subsistence payments, declined to disclose which private company sponsored his trip. He didn’t think it necessary, never mind potential conflicts of interest.

Parliamentary and other questions were fobbed off then. If McKenzie’s officials had his back the parliamentary reply on his Olympics trip could have included his six meetings while in Paris. A value for money proposition, so to speak, nothing for ethics probes. But anger simmers among department officials, according to the political grapevine, because McKenzie sacked superfan “Mama Joy” Chauke.

If McKenzie has any political nous beyond populist-speak he must ask himself who he can trust. The people he brought in to his ministerial office would have no clue about regulations concerning travel arrangements. Existing staff would have taken care of that. On the face of it, all would be done by the book. Except it wasn’t — not for the public interest. That’s the nature of the civil service’s malicious compliance. 

McKenzie would be wise to wisen up, and hold back on the wise cracks about how flying business class was a downgrade for him, as he announced at his recent 100 days in office briefing. “I have done absolutely nothing wrong,” he said. 

And strictly speaking he hasn’t. Ministers’ trips happen only with presidential approval. They must inform the president in writing at least two weeks ahead of time, according to the November 2022 executive guidebook. The presidency has a section to check those motivations for trips abroad, including who’s going and how much is paid for what. Why did this oversight and accountability step fail here? Unless the costs were deemed OK. 

It’s easy to explain how McKenzie racked up R215,976.36 for a return flight. Try booking a business class seat two weeks ahead of departure. But this means he was not properly briefed by departmental officials after walking into the ministry in June. The Paris Olympics invite would have been received months earlier.

It’s also easy to explain the R454,005 spent on so-called ground transport, which left to the travel agent would be chauffeur-driven cars. The executive handbook recommends alerting the international relations department for support; the Paris embassy could have been asked to spare a car and driver.

All this simply underscores the state’s brokenness and the civil service’s corrupted institutional culture. And how taxpayers continue to have to pay up. McKenzie’s trip shows how little has changed with the advent of the GNU despite a glossy new sign on the government’s door. The governing coalition partners can’t continue kicking decisions on difficult issues into the long grass. 

• Merten is a veteran political journalist specialising in parliament and governance.