Africa-Press – South-Africa. Taxpayers spent R502,146 on flights for Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s wife to accompany him in attending World Economic Forum (WEF) meetings in Davos in 2025 and 2026.
Godongwana’s wife also accompanied him on his trip to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in July 2025.
The minister’s wife did not have any separate accommodation costs for the trips.
This was revealed in Godongwana’s response to a parliamentary question from National Assembly member Jan Naudé De Villiers at the end of March.
De Villiers asked Godongwana whether his spouse had accompanied him on any trips outside of South Africa since the beginning of his latest term as Finance Minister.
This question comes after several high-profile incidents involving ministers having their partners accompany them on trips outside of South Africa for state business.
The most high-profile case involved Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson, whose partner accompanied him on a trip to Brazil. Macpherson said the accompaniment of his partner cost the state R350,000.
This raised questions as to whether the state should pay for the travel expenses of the partners of ministers, with high-ranking officials enjoying business class airplane tickets and stays at high-end hotels.
These trips can be extremely costly, with the Deputy President Paul Mashatile and his wife travelling to Japan for a four-day trip, which cost taxpayers nearly R1 million in hotel fees alone.
South Africa’s Ministerial Handbook currently allows ministers and deputy ministers to be accompanied by their spouses or partners on a limited number of international trips per year.
For these trips, the government covers the cost of flights, often in business or first class, and accommodation for the official and their partner.
Godongwana revealed in response to De Villiers’ question that he has only undertaken three international trips with his partner since the Government of National Unity was formed in June 2024.
These were trips to the WEF series of meetings in 2025 and 2026, as well as Godongwana’s trip to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Spain.
Godongwana explained that the state only paid separate flight costs for his spouse, with no separate accommodation costs incurred.
For the trip to the 2025 WEF meetings in Davos, the state paid R114,906.74 in flight tickets for Godongwana’s partner to accompany him.
As Finance Minister, Godongwana is the head of “Team South Africa”, which looks to convince business leaders, global banks, and the elite that the country is a good place to allocate capital.
In particular, Godongwana tries to provide proof of progress in executing the state’s reform agenda, which should boost economic growth and make South Africa more attractive to investment.
He would also look to convince lenders and asset managers that South Africa’s financial health is improving, with debt-to-GDP set to stabilise in the current fiscal year.
The conference in Spain will see taxpayers foot the R144,986.00 flight ticket bill, while the 2026 WEF cost the state R242.254.17.
The breakdown in travel costs for Godongwana’s partner can be seen in the table below.
PurposeDestinationCost of flight tickets2025 WEF Annual MeetingsZurichR114,906.74Fourth International Conference on Financing for DevelopmentParisR144,986.002026 WEF Annual MeetingsZurichR242,254.17Total cost–R502,146.91
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