VIP flight chartering: We need a full-scale hearing
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will call on Stanley Motimele, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, to schedule a full-scale hearing on the chartering of aircraft by the Department of Defence to transport VIPs.
The report in today's Sunday Times that the cost of chartering flights for former president Thabo Mbeki came to R20.5 million, once again focuses attention on chartering of flights for VIPs by the defence department (see report).
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, recently revealed that there had been a massive increase in spending from R3.6 million in 2009 to R16.9 million in 2010 on the chartering of flights for VIPs by the Department of Defence. The state forked out more than R1 million per charter on several occasions in 2010. There were five R1 million-plus charters last year, including charters which cost the public purse between R2.4 million and R4.2 million per charter.
The minister attributed the increase in spending in part to "additional responsibilities given to former president Thabo Mbeki by the African Union, which requires a great deal of travel."
The cost of chartering aircraft is clearly excessive, but is it fair for former president Thabo Mbeki to take the blame?