By Johnathan Paoli
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has welcomed the recent correction by City Press of what he describes as a “false and misleading” article about his official travel to the BRICS summit in Brazil last year, while warning that the original reporting forms part of a broader campaign aimed at derailing clean-up efforts within his department.
In a detailed statement issued by the ministry on Sunday, Macpherson said the corrected article now accurately reflects that he did not ignore legal advice regarding his partner’s travel, that the total cost of the working visit amounted to R350,000, and that no fruitless or wasteful duplicate bookings were made.
“Similarly to the tactics used in the fightback campaign used when we tried to clean-up the IDT with the use of fake news articles and social media bots, City Press published a blatantly false article and headline which was widely shared on social media and which inadvertently favours those who are against the clean-up campaign we have embarked on at the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure,” Macpherson said.
The minister said the original article falsely claimed that he had ignored legal advice over his partner’s travel to Brazil and significantly overstated the cost of the visit.
Following engagements with the publication, City Press corrected the article, deleted associated social media posts, and amended the content to reflect that the minister had no knowledge of an alleged internal disagreement among departmental officials.
Macpherson said the episode cannot be viewed in isolation, arguing that it follows a pattern of resistance to reforms he has initiated since taking office.
These include the suspension and resignation of senior officials, the introduction of lifestyle audits, and disciplinary action within the department.
“This follows reports that my and the DG’s office is being spied on, confirming my suspicion that a campaign is underway to stop the work we are doing within the department,” he said.
The minister added that his office has formally requested the State Security Agency to investigate alleged communication interception and eavesdropping targeting him and senior officials.
Macpherson also took aim at political parties that reacted to the original article, singling out ActionSA, which he said had previously “fallen victim to fake news around the IDT” and had again “jumped to support the false reporting”.
In a statement issued earlier on Sunday, ActionSA spokesperson Malebo Kobe called on Macpherson to repay what the party claims is R839,000 in taxpayer money allegedly spent on the Brazil trip with his partner.
“South Africans are tightening their belts. Ministers must do the same and not expect taxpayers, already under pressure, to finance the getaways of ministers and their partners. ActionSA calls on Minister Macpherson to immediately pay back the alleged wasted taxpayer money and to provide a full public explanation and apology for this abuse. South Africa cannot afford ministers who treat the public purse as their personal travel fund,” Kobe said.
ActionSA further alleged that the minister had already accumulated R3.2 million in travel expenses as of June 2025 and criticised what it described as chaotic booking processes and excessive ministerial perks, calling on Macpherson to “immediately pay back the alleged wasted taxpayer money” and issue a public apology.
While welcoming the correction, Macpherson criticised what he termed sensationalist false reporting and said the damage caused by the original publication could not simply be undone.
“While the correction to the article will not undo the serious damage already caused by the blatantly false reporting, I welcome City Press’ efforts to correct the article. I, however, remain extremely concerned how this reporting was allowed to take place in the first place which clearly favours those who seek to undo the work we are trying to do,” he said.
The minister further called on City Press to ensure that the correction is published across all its social media platforms and that the article clearly and prominently indicates that it has been amended, in line with the South African Press Code.
INSIDE POLITICS