By Thapelo Molefe
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has tabled a motion of censure against Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) Speaker Morakane Mosupyoe, accusing her of wasting nearly R6 million in public funds on a delegation to Venezuela and calling for her to be held accountable.
The motion, announced by DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga on Wednesday, relates to a November 2025 trip to Venezuela that allegedly cost taxpayers R5.99 million.
According to Msimanga, the 13-member delegation comprised the Speaker, four Gauteng MPLs and seven legislature staff members. He alleged that each delegate received a R125,000 travel allowance.
“The Speaker must be reprimanded for her appalling judgement on wasting money on this trip,” Msimanga said.
He claimed documents submitted to the Oversight Committee of the Office of the Premier showed the purpose of the visit was to strengthen diplomatic relations with Venezuela and attend the International Tourism Fair of Venezuela (FITVEN), where South Africa was the guest of honour.
However, Msimanga argued that the legislature’s participation was unnecessary because Brand South Africa had already represented the country at the four-day tourism exhibition.
“This means there was no need for the GPL to attend FITVEN, as South Africa was already represented by Brand South Africa. The delegation attended the four-day tourism conference, but the rest of the trip cannot be explained,” he said.
Msimanga alleged the trip served personal rather than public interests.
“This was a blatant waste of taxpayers’ money and should not have taken place at all. Wasting money on a trip when service delivery in the province is floundering indicates that the Speaker cares little about the well-being of Gauteng residents,” he said.
He added that while strengthening diplomatic relations was an important government responsibility, it should not come at the expense of delivering basic services.
“The trip to Venezuela is not the action of responsible leadership; instead, it is one of leadership that looks for loopholes to steal from the public purse. Building diplomatic relations is a crucial responsibility of any government; however, it should not come at the expense of providing basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation and caring for the most vulnerable residents of this province,” Msimanga said.
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature and the Office of the Speaker had not responded to the DA’s allegations by the time of publication.
