Macpherson admits he spent R350k on Brazil trip with his partner

MINISTER of Public Works, Dean Macpherson has admitted that he spent R350 000 on a working trip to Brazil with his partner, however, he rejected claims that the cost of the trip was R839 000.

- SIMON MAJADIBODU

He said that he was unaware of any alleged internal dispute among departmental officials. The controversy comes amid broader scrutiny of travel expenditure within South Africa's government of national unity.

ActionSA has called on Macpherson to repay taxpayer money allegedly spent on his partner during the trip.

In a statement, the party's MP Malebo Kobe said: "ActionSA calls on Minister Macpherson to immediately pay back the alleged wasted taxpayer money and to provide a full public explanation and apology for this abuse. South Africa cannot afford ministers who treat the public purse as their personal travel fund."

However, Macpherson denied the allegation regarding the reported amount and said he had no knowledge of any disagreement among departmental officials.

He maintained that the total cost of the working visit to Brazil, which included his partner, was R350 000. He added that he had found no evidence of fruitless or wasteful duplicate bookings.

Macpherson is a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the largest partner in the coalition government at the national level. His office has not indicated whether any repayment would be considered, however, it maintained that the reported R839 000 figure is incorrect.