Gauteng speaker’s R6-million Venezuela trip sparks outrage
· The South African
A R6-million Venezuela trip taken by speaker for the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), Morakane Mosupyoe, is sparking outrage and calls for censure.
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The trip in question took place in November 2025, and the Democratic Alliance (DA) has revealed a motion of censure against her.
R6-MILLION VENEZUELA TRIP
However, Mosupyoe did not travel alone. A vast 13-person delegation included four more GPL members and seven additional staff. Almost unbelievably, each member allegedly received a R125 000 out-of-country allowance as part of the R6-million Venezuela trip.
Mosupyoe, however, is defending the trip, saying it was a diplomatic outreach excercise. She says the GPL exhibited at FITVEN, a Venezuelan tourism fair, where South Africa was granted guest-of-honour status. Where it gets more contentious is that Gauteng’s exhibit ran alongside an official BrandSA stall already there.
INFLATED STIPENDS
The last thing Gauteng needs in its worsening economic state is money wilfully wasted on international trips. Image: FileDA opposition leader Solly Msimanga disputes the justification. He notes the conference lasted just four days, and BrandSA was already representing South Africa there.
He calls the rest of the trip unexplained and accuses Mosupyoe of inflating her stipend for personal gain. Msimanga links the spending to Gauteng’s service delivery failures. The DA is demanding accountability for wasteful public spending on the alleged R6-million Venezuela trip.
Gauteng province, which generates roughly a third of South Africa’s GDP, is battling a widening economic crisis. Unemployment has climbed past 30% as the ANC fails to absorb job losses. With reportedly R9.3 billion in unpaid invoices, the National Treasury has threatened to freeze R1.9 billion in provincial funding over unresolved debt. Plus, economists say new spending plans do little to address daily complaints about water outages, crumbling roads and worsening service delivery issues.
But what do you think? Are you concerned about this R6-million Venezuela trip, when infrastructure in the province is so clearly crumbling? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …