Macpherson defends hotel bill as cheaper than ministerial residence

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has once again defended the department's nearly R200,000 expenditure on his use of hotel accommodation in Gauteng, claiming it was "considerably more cost-effective" than renting a ministerial residence. This follows a question from MK Party MP Zelna Abader, who inquired whether it was ethical, justifiable, and consistent with constitutional principles to spend taxpayers' money on hotel accommodation.

In July 2024, Macpherson revealed that his accommodation cost in Gauteng amounted to R186,150 for 65 nights between July 3, 2024 and June 20, 2026. He explained the hotel accommodation due to the lack of accommodation in Pretoria for the newly constituted executive under the Government of National Unity. Abader asked about the public benefit of the expenditure, the total number of hotel stays paid for, and the details of the hotel stays, as well as seeking an independent assessment to confirm savings to the State.

Macpherson stated that traveling to Gauteng via hotel accommodation was more cost-effective than renting or purchasing a dedicated residence, particularly due to the expansion of the executive. He also questioned why an opposition MP would advocate for spending upwards of R5 million on ministerial accommodation, suggesting it was not prudent or financially responsible.

Macpherson highlighted that the department spends R6.4m on municipal utility charges at parliamentary villages in Cape Town between June 2024 and August 2026, and incurred R11.2m on maintenance and R899,325 on transportation of 352 MPs and learners between April and August 2026. He explained that the department had spent over R23m to maintain parliamentary villages over approximately five months, which would be close to a quarter of a billion rand over a two-year period.

Macpherson emphasized that these figures contextualize the comparatively limited expenditure on his own accommodation and raised questions about the costs associated with accommodation in general, and the responsibility of finding more cost-effective alternatives.