Cape Town – Nearly R1.5 million of taxpayer money was reportedly spent on ferrying government officials, including Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague earlier this year.
This expense was seven times higher than the amount spent on the government’s legal team for the same occasion in January, The Citizen reported.
South Africa brought Israel before the ICJ, seeking to have its military actions in Gaza classified as genocidal.
In a ruling in mid-January that made headlines worldwide, the ICJ ordered Israel to do everything it could to prevent genocide during its Gaza offensive.
The court also ruled that Israel must allow aid into Gaza to ease the desperate humanitarian situation there.
In response to a recent parliamentary inquiry about the trip’s expenses, Lamola disclosed that his travel costs amounted to more than R443,000, the report said.
An entourage of state officials, including their VIP protection, incurred an additional R1,025,359 in travel expenses.
Moreover, the three lawyers, one senior and two junior, who travelled on the department’s account, amounted to R277,000 in costs.
BREAKING NEWS 🇿🇦
SOUTH AFRICAN SPENT MILLIONS IN THE ISRAEL ICJ CASE
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South Africa spent one-point-nine-six-million rand on its case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).The Minister of Justice, Ronald Lamola,… pic.twitter.com/TKAQX5aWat
— . (@RainbowFMnews) May 3, 2024
Regarding accommodation and allowances for the minister and state officials, the department spent R136,194.
While the three legal practitioners provided pro bono services, resulting in no direct cost, R73,420 was spent on their accommodation, said the report.
Last month, the Democratic Alliance (DA) raised concerns about Police Minister Bheki Cele’s travel expenses following his trip to KwaZulu-Natal for a media briefing, despite welcoming the arrest of murder suspects.
While the party expressed appreciation for the arrest of the Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes murder suspects, it rebuked Cele for conducting a press conference with the intention “to show South Africa that Saps is doing its job it is supposed to be doing”.
The DA questioned the cost of the briefing and requested a breakdown of expenses, particularly related to flights, accommodation, and transport, the report said.
The police ministry disclosed that the estimated cost of using the Saps Cessna Sovereign aircraft for the trip was R176 945.
Cele previously faced criticism for using a police helicopter at an ANC event, prompting calls for investigation into the use of state resources for political purposes.
Bheki Cele arrived at Moses Mabhida stadium in a police helicopter wearing ANC t-shirt. He then took to the sky for aerial view. Police unions are silent. pic.twitter.com/o7QGVpsEVw
— Bra Hloni (@BraHlonisky) February 25, 2024
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
