South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile is facing intense public scrutiny after it emerged that he and his wife racked up nearly R1 million in hotel expenses during a brief diplomatic visit to Japan, all funded by taxpayers.
A parliamentary Q&A revealed that Mashatile’s five-day trip to Tokyo in March 2025 cost the public purse R2.3 million, with R956 057 spent solely on accommodation for the deputy president and his spouse, Humile Mashatile. The staggering sum has raised eyebrows, especially given that Japan’s most prestigious hotels typically charge far less than R239 000 per night, the estimated cost per night if they stayed four nights, as reported by Daily Investor.
The exact hotel was not named in the parliamentary documents, but even the elite Aman Tokyo, often touted as the pinnacle of luxury in the city, only charges around R142 000 per night for its largest suite.
The costly visit came just months after Mashatile assumed office on 3 July 2024. Since then, he’s made four international trips. His travel record includes visits to Ireland, the UK, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and most recently, Japan. The purpose of these trips ranged from diplomatic duties to attending summits on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Japan trip, which took place from 16 to 19 March 2025, was described by his office as a strategic effort to boost cooperation in trade, politics, education, and culture between South Africa and Japan, a country ranked as South Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner.
Mashatile didn’t travel alone. He was accompanied by a sizable delegation of ministers, including Gayton McKenzie (Sport, Arts, and Culture), John Steenhuisen (Agriculture), Dr Nobuhle Nkabane (Higher Education), Parks Tau (Trade, Industry and Competition), Thandi Moraka (Deputy Minister of International Relations), and Nomalungelo Gina (Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation).
While government officials insisted the visit had long-term diplomatic value, critics say the opulent spending contradicts the economic struggles faced by millions of South Africans. DA MP Lerato Ngobeni, who requested the information, questioned the justification behind such high costs, especially regarding luxury accommodation.
Transparency advocates have also raised alarms over the lack of clarity around specific costs, hotel names, and justification for such lavish expenditure. Civil society groups are now calling for tighter controls on government travel spending, especially amid a struggling economy and mounting unemployment.
Mashatile’s office has yet to comment further on the backlash, but the controversy is likely to linger as South Africans question whether public servants should be enjoying five-star lifestyles on the nation’s dime.
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Picture: Frennie Shivambu / Gallo Images
