McKenzie shares breakdown of exorbitant Paris Olympics trip

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has shared the detailed cost breakdown of his trip to Paris for the Olympic Games.

McKenzie wrote to his acting director-general Dr Cynthia Khumalo to explain the exorbitant expenditure.

The minister recently revealed in a parliamentary reply that his department incurred a total cost of R804,597.71 for his trip to Paris.

McKenzie conceded that the more than R450 000 for his “ground transport” in Paris was “exorbitant” and that R113 000 for his hotel seemed “very steep”.

Olympic costs breakdown

According to the breakdown shared by McKenzie flew business class on Air France to Paris and back to Johannesburg at a cost of more than R215 000.

The hotel accommodation for seven nights including travel management fees  cost R116 22.83

“The above includes R16 181.58 per night, including dinner, bed and breakfast at the Hotel Lumen Paris Louvre,” said Khumalo in the breakdown.

ALSO READ: EFF to refer McKenzie to Ethics Committee for ‘possible and likely misuse of state funds’

However, it was the ground transport that has garnered all the attention.  According to the report, these were the costs that were incurred:

• 22.07.24 @ 6h30 – 28.07.24 @ 21h35 at R 465 455.11 includes daily chauffeur services of R387 750. 00
• Extra hours services of R 66 255.00

“Covers executive vehicle for minister and standard vehicle (sharing for officials from ministry),” Khumalo explained in the breakdown.

McKenzie in a post on X (formally Twitter) said he would share more information on the costs later.  

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has shared the detailed costs breakdown of his trip to Paris for the Olympic Games. #GaytonMcKenzie #OlympicGames #SportsArtsCulture @TheCitizen_News @GaytonMcK pic.twitter.com/3YNtavruWA

— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) October 17, 2024

Complaint against McKenzie

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters have complained to Parliament’s ethics committee about McKenzie and intends to lay a complaint with the Public Protector.

EFF MP Sinawo Thambo was unimpressed by McKenzie’s letter to Khumalo.

“McKenzie has now further tied himself to proof that he is not paying attention to the work of his department because he has in his relentless attempt to secure public favour and as a result of his obsession with public praise, written a letter to the Acting Director General for the Department of Sports and Culture to clarify the expenditure related to his trip to the Olympic games.

“In doing this, McKenzie has tied himself officially to the wasteful expenditure and accepted that he did indeed attend the Olympics,” Thambo said.

Thambo said the EFF believes McKenzie violated the Ministerial Handbook, “particularly as they relate to subsistence expenses, as the expenditure on what he referred to as ‘ground travel’ was abnormally high and amounted to almost half a million rand”.

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