‘No one asks about ministers’ weekend funeral trips’ − Cele defends assistant’s R450K RWC trip

Police Minister Bheki Cele has justified the expenditure of at least R450 000 of taxpayers’ money spent his executive assistant’s trip to France for the Rugby World Cup final.

Cele revealed this figure earlier this month in a parliamentary response to the Democratic Alliance (DA).

He disclosed that R33 256 was spent on his own trip to France, sponsored by a private company, while the government covered R446 339.43 for his executive assistant’s trip.

The DA has since submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to Cele to get more information about the trip.

Cele kicked off the annual countrywide Safer Festive Season Inspection Roadshow on Tuesday and addressed the expenditure of the trip.

He said his assistant attended as he had been invited in his capacity as a minister. The expenditure for the trip had also been budgeted for.

READ MORE: Taxpayers spent nearly R450K for Cele’s assistant to attend Rugby World Cup final

“The Rugby World Cup is a national issue, that’s why the President [Cyril Ramaphosa] himself went. The minister was sponsored for the trip. On the side of the minister, it’s only R15 000 that was paid for insurance,” he said in a video shared by EWN.

“If the minister is invited, there is staff that supports the minister. So the personal assistant of the minister was part of that to see to it that the minister gets the service he’s supposed to get.”

Cele om ‘double standards’

Cele pointed out the “double standards” regarding ministers’ trips, noting that not all trips receive equal scrutiny. He mentioned that the sponsorship would be disclosed in the next parliamentary declarations.

“This has made news, but ministers every weekend go to funerals with their personal staff and drive ministerial cars, nobody has calculated how much is spent on that,” he said.

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“The matter is being raised by the opposition saying they will take the matter to the public protector, but the law in South Africa for Members of Parliament or ministers is that any gift or sponsor you get, you declare and we declare once a year.

“Those who are asking questions must wait and that will be declared accordingly. The company that sponsored, how much they gave, hotels and everything will be read there when declaring. I don’t know why must Cele, specifically, answer those questions when it is a known factor that we all declare these things. Those declarations are public, you will be able to see.

“The money spent was ministry money budgeted for trips outside the country. If Bheki Cele is invited as Bheki Cele, he goes alone, but the minister was invited, that’s why he had to go with the staff support from the ministry.”

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