South Africa's Deputy President Paul Mashatile is facing intense public scrutiny after it emerged that he and his wife racked up nearly R1 million in hotel expenses during a brief diplomatic visit to Japan, all funded by taxpayers.
A parliamentary Q A revealed that Mashatile's five-day trip to Tokyo in March 2025 cost the public purse R2.3 million, with R956 057 spent solely on accommodation for the deputy president and his spouse, Humile Mashatile. The staggering sum has raised eyebrows, especially given that Japan's most prestigious hotels typically charge far less than R239 000 per night, the estimated cost per night if they stayed four nights, as reported by Daily Investor .
The exact hotel was not named in the parliamentary documents, but even the elite Aman Tokyo, often touted as the pinnacle of luxury in the city, only charges around R142 000 per night for its largest suite.
The costly visit came just months after Mashatile assumed office on 3 July 2024. Since then, he's made four international trips. His travel record includes visits to Ireland, the UK, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and most recently, Japan. The purpose of these trips ranged from diplomatic duties to attending summits on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Japan trip, which took place from 16 to 19 March 2025, was described by his office as a strategic effort to boost cooperation in trade, politics, education, and culture between South Africa and Japan, a country ranked as South Africa's fourth-largest trading partner.