Travelgate was one of the first major political corruption scandals in post-apartheid South Africa. It implicated over 30 Members of Parliament (MPs) as accomplices and beneficiaries in a large-scale fraud scheme, under which Parliament unknowingly recompensed MPs and private travel agencies for millions of rands in fictitious travel expenses. The Sunday Times broke the story in July 2004.[1]
The fraud itself revolved around travel vouchers which MPs were granted for covering work-related air travel expenses. These took the form of travel warrants which MPs could use to pay travel agencies for air tickets; travel agents were able to claim payment from Parliament against the warrants.[2] MPs and travel agents colluded to fill out fraudulent travel warrants and bill Parliament for air tickets that were never purchased (or that had been purchased but cancelled and refunded). The money paid by Parliament was kept by the agencies, who transferred some of it to MPs in the form of cash or bookings for car hire or luxury hotel accommodation. In the latter case, MPs were able to duplicate future expense claims to Parliament, for example by claiming mileage expenses on their vehicles while in fact using hired vehicles paid for by the travel agency.[3]
The Scorpions, an elite unit of the National Prosecuting Authority, initiated a large-scale investigation which involved questioning 135 MPs, and PricewaterhouseCoopers was contracted to assist with forensic accounting.[1] The first criminal charges were laid against MPs in January 2005.[1] By 2010, 31 MPs, and several travel agents, had pled guilty to charges against them; none of the cases went to trial.[4][5] Several resigned.[6]