MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / The R6.3 million ILO junket

The R6.3 million ILO junket

Dear Editor

The Department of Employment and Labour splurged the princely sum of R6,361,845.07 when it paid for 28 delegates (out of a total delegation of 43) to attend the 111th Session of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference in Geneva from 5 to 16 June 2023.

This shocking waste of taxpayers’ money came to light in reply to a parliamentary question posed by the DA.

The Department squandered over R1.1 million on air travel, over R4.1 million on hotel accommodation and almost R37 000 on daily subsistence allowances for the lucky junketeers led by Minister Thulas Nxesi.

The Minister was at the helm of what he outrageously terms a ‘scaled-down’ tripartite delegation encompassing representatives from government, organised labour and business.

Eight government advisers went along for the ride, as did thirteen officials from the Department of Employment and Labour. One of them, Advocate Fikiswa Bedwe (Chief Director: Inspection and Enforcement Services) is currently undergoing a disciplinary hearing for various charges outlined in this separate reply to a parliamentary question.

Independently of the Department, the serially underperforming Compensation Fund (which was unable to submit its annual financial statements this year) paid for its representative to attend, as did the equally ill-starred Unemployment Insurance Fund.

The jaunt to Geneva was a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money. It occurred at a time when the country finds itself in dire straits financially. One of the fiscal cost-containment measures is meant to involve scaling back dramatically on travel and conferences, but clearly Minister Nxesi didn’t get the memo.

The Department of Employment and Labour needs to get its priorities in order and resist the temptation to take every Tom, Dick and Harry to international jamborees when over 42% of South Africans can’t find work on home soil.

Regards

Dr Michael Cardo MP
DA Shadow Minister of Employment and Labour

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • NSFAS 2027 applications close on 31 October — SASSA households, apply now

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. NSFAS applications for the 2027 academic year close on Friday 31 October 2026, and no extension is expected. If your household receives a SASSA grant, your child already passes the NSFAS financial eligibility test — but they still have to…

  • Publish the Call, Then Publish the Grade

    Dear Editor, South African football fans argue about everything — lineups, referees, who should start up front. But there’s one argument we never have, because nobody gives us the numbers: were the predictions we read all week actually any good? I help run XG Mind AI, a small independent football data lab. Our rule is…

  • Don’t Ignore a SASSA Review Notice — It Is Not a Cancellation

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. SASSA has reminded beneficiaries that a grant review is not a cancellation. A review simply checks whether a beneficiary still meets the qualifying requirements — it can be triggered by a change in income, employment, marital status, address, contact details…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ja, Nee – Yes, NoOften used in succession, these two words are used to express agreement or confirmation with someone or something.Example: “Ja, Nee, I’m fine thanks.”

  2. The sole purpose of your middle name is so you know when you are in real trouble with your mother