A confidential leaked report signed by Dr Dion George, the DA's former federal finance chairperson, reveals that several senior DA leaders are receiving substantial financial bonuses in addition to their government salaries.
Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspaper
By submitting formal complaints to the Public Protector and Parliament's Ethics Committee regarding explosive claims that senior Democratic Alliance leaders may have received covert "top-up" payments from their party while serving in government, ActionSA has intensified a political storm.
According to the claims, which are based on an internal report that was leaked, Ashor Sarupen, the Deputy Minister of Finance, and John Steenhuisen, the Minister of Agriculture, may have been getting regular, structured payments related to their positions within the DA.
The confidential leaked report, signed by the DA’s former federal finance chairperson, Dr Dion George, reveals that several senior DA leaders, including Sarupen, are receiving substantial financial top-ups in addition to their government salaries.
The list includes several DA figures, such as former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink, MP Werner Horn, head of policy Mathew Cuthbert, parliamentary chief whip George Michalakis, and uMngeni Mayor Chris Pappas.
The Democratic Alliance has, however, disputed the validity of the leaked report.
National spokesperson Karabo Khakhau told IOL: “The report carries the signature of a former member of the party, and its validity is being disputed. A version with verified content will be served before FedEx later this month. The leaked report you have received has never been served before FedEx.”
Among those listed, Steenhuisen is said to receive a "leader stipend" and additional benefits, including a clothing allowance, on top of his hefty salary as both DA leader and Agriculture Minister.
Sarupen is reported to receive an additional R50,000 per month from the party for his role as the national campaign manager for the 2026 elections.
In addition to Steenhuisen and Sarupen, several other senior DA leaders are also benefiting from top-up payments.
Chris Pappas, the mayor of the uMngeni Local Municipality, requested an additional R44,609 gross salary per month to supplement his “relatively low salary” in the municipality. The payment is contingent on his continued availability as the DA’s mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections.
The report notes: “The payment was effective from 1 October 2025 and, in terms of his contract with the party, effective until Election 2026. Payment is subject to him being available as a mayoral candidate for uMngeni.”
Mathew Cuthbert, a DA MP and the head of policy for the party, is also reportedly receiving an additional R50,000 gross per month to supplement his parliamentary earnings due to his role in policy development.
Similarly, DA MP Werner Horn is receiving an additional R50,000 per month for his work as the DA’s national campaign manager.
The report also notes that George Michalakis, a DA MP and the party’s Chief Whip, has requested an additional payment to bring his salary in line with that of the Chief Whip of the Opposition, which he would have received had the DA not entered the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Michalakis is currently receiving an additional R9,053 per month to match the remuneration he believes is due to him as Chief Whip.
These top-up payments, according to ActionSA, are in clear violation of Section 96 of the South African Constitution, which unambiguously prohibits members of the executive from undertaking any other paid work.
Lerato Ngobeni, ActionSA’s Parliamentary Chief Whip, said if confirmed, this would amount to a striking situation in which members of the executive are effectively being paid twice: once by South African public taxpayers and again by their political party.
“One would expect that the lavish, billion-rand perks of being a minister or Deputy Ministerhttps://thestar.co.za/news/politics/2026-01-26-actionsa-opens-door-to-dion-george-as-da-feud-spills-into-public-view/ would suffice for the DA’s public representatives, but apparently, they do not.”
Ngobeni also pointed out that these top-up payments were not declared as additional work or remuneration in the Register of Members’ Interests.
“These substantial top-up payments were also not declared as additional work or remuneration in the Register of Members’ Interests, which raises a host of further concerns.”
In addition to filing complaints with the Public Protector and the Ethics Committee, ActionSA raised concerns about the broader issue of wasteful government spending..
“It is becoming increasingly apparent that taxpayers are funding billions for the luxury perks and VIP protection of Ministers and their redundant Deputies, who display shocking profligacy while expecting the same taxpayers to tighten their belts, Ngobeni said.
She further criticised the government, referring to the “wasteful expenditure of nearly half a billion rand on luxury travel” and the failure to declare financial interests.
“A systemic disregard for accountability and proper stewardship of public funds has come to represent how little regard the GNU has for the people of South Africa,” she said.
Ngobeni also stressed that ActionSA, as the constructive opposition in Parliament, will ensure that all members of the executive, regardless of party, are held to the same standards.
“As the constructive opposition in Parliament, ActionSA will ensure that all members of the executive—regardless of party—are held to the same standard, because there can be no exceptions,” she said.
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