Photo: The Kremlin
Photo: The Kremlin
When you’re the subject of an investigation from the Public Protector, it might be wise to keep your head down for a bit. But President Cyril Ramaphosa seemingly has nowhere to hide, as the DA have dug up the details of his most recent trip to Geneva, Switzerland.
Cyril Ramaphosa and crew “may face investigation” for Geneva trip
Michael Cardo is the DA Shadow Minister of Employment and Labour. He confirmed that he will be leading the inquiries, after accusing Ramaphosa of blowing R3.5 million of public money on a trip packed with “astronomical” fees.
According to the party representative, Ramaphosa invited a bloated delegation to a conference hosted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in June. Although it has been reasoned that the president needed to attend in order to find tangible solutions to South Africa’s unemployment crisis, his entourage has become problematic.
Jamboree to Geneva: How much did it cost?
It has been calculated that the travelling party were afforded about R100 000 per delegate. It’s understood that 35 members stuck their costs on the taxpayer’s tab, and another 27 representatives covered their own expenses.
In fact, the Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi seems to be the worst offender of the lot. He spent the most on accommodation (R75 600) and flights (R84 639) for the 12-day stay
Cardo has publicly slammed the “jamboree to Geneva”, and revealed that the DA would be pursuing things further in Parliament. They are now requesting a full report into the expenditure incurred by the department:
“We will write to Minister Thulas Nxesi to request a full, detailed report on whether the objectives of the trip were achieved, to be tabled in Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Labour. We deserve to be told what they achieved and how they contributed.”
“The public must know why we sent one of the largest delegations to Geneva, which cost the South African taxpayers millions of rands. In the face of unprecedented levels of unemployment, austerity measures are a necessity for the government. The jamboree to Geneva seems difficult to justify.”
Michael Cardo
Cyril Ramaphosa blasted for “luxury vacation”
The trip has also been described as “a luxury vacation to one of the world’s most expensive cities” and “a colossal waste of public money”, on the premise that their visit may not have done much to ease joblessness.
Figures released by StatsSA on Tuesday should have their place in a house of horrors. The unemployment rate reached an 11-year high, with 29% of the workforce now without work. Ramaphosa has prioritised job creation as a flagship policy of his, but things seem to be heading in the wrong direction. Let’s hope he picked up a new economy in Geneva…
