DA to compel Defence Minister to release details of Zuma’s Russia flights

10 June 2015 

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has refused to disclose any details about the scandal surrounding the millions of Rands wasted on flights for President Jacob Zuma during a recent visit to Russia.

Replying to a parliamentary question probing the millions wasted on flights undertaken by President Jacob Zuma during his recent visit to Russia, the Minister claimed: 

“As previously indicated in response to repeated similar questions, the Ministry and the Department deems all information relating to the movement of the President and relevant operational planning requirements as security sensitive. This information will not be made public and will be submitted to Parliament through a parliamentary channel that protects such information.”

The parliamentary question probed the scandal surrounding the use of three chartered aircraft – a Boeing Business Jet, operated by Longtail Aviation, a Bombadier Challenger 604, operated by Hyperion Aviation, and a Boeing 727, operated by Fortune Air – recently used to transport President Jacob Zuma back from Russia.

Moreover, replying to a parliamentary question probing the cost of maintenance of President Jacob Zuma’s Boeing Business Jet (“Inkwazi”), the Minister provided the same reply to Parliament.

There is absolutely no reason why the information should not be made public because:

- the information requested is retrospective and cannot possibly be “security sensitive”; and

- the information requested has been disclosed in the past to Parliament. 

We know, as a result of replies to previous parliamentary questions, for example, the total cost of President Jacob Zuma’s flights for his visit to the United States, between 18 September 2011 and 25 September 2011, was R6 331 174.67. 

In fact, former President Thabo Mbeki provided detailed information about every flight undertaken on the Boeing Business Jet (“Inkwazi”).

The information disclosed, incredibly, per flight included the: departure date; arrival date; passenger names; passenger numbers; flight routing; distance travelled; hours flown; cost of accommodation; cost of meals and daily allowances; amount of fuel used; cost of fuel used; cost of handling fees; cost of navigation and landing fees; cost catering; operating cost; and the total cost.

However, under President Jacob Zuma, this information is now suddenly “security sensitive” and cannot be made public.

Clearly, the real motive, for not making the information public, is clearly to protect President Jacob Zuma from another scandal.

We will, therefore, submit an application, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) (No. 2 of 2000), requesting access to information, concerning the flights, and the costs of such flights, to transport President Jacob Zuma to and from Russia.

And if the Minister refuses to disclose the information, then we will pursue this matter in the courts and compel the Minister to disclose the information.

In the end, we are not going to sit back and allow President Jacob Zuma to remain an “accountability free zone” in Parliament.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, June 10 2015