How much did judges really spend on their Durban conference?
Travel agency quoted the Office of the Chief Justice R9,000 for return plane tickets from Johannesburg to Durban
The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) hosted a judiciary conference in Durban from July 13-16, 2025. TWF, the appointed travel agent, quoted return economy class plane tickets for R8,501 and R9,195 between Johannesburg and Durban, significantly higher than the usual R3,000 cost. The conference drew over 200 judges and magistrates from across the country, who stayed at hotels like Radisson and Capital Pearls.
Concerns arose over the inflated ticket prices, leading to questions about the OCJ's spending on the conference. The OCJ has not finalized invoices, leaving the exact expenditure unknown. A travel consultant confirmed that domestic flight prices should not have been near the quoted rates of R8,500, suggesting the OCJ might have paid more.
The OCJ appointed TWF as their travel management service provider in April 2026, but the high ticket prices remain unexplained.
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