Minister must explain presence of Russian commercial aircraft at Waterkloof

5 May 2023

There are many unanswered questions surrounding the landing of a commercial Russian freight aircraft at the Waterkloof Air Force Base last week.

The matter is already making waves internationally with the New York Times, among others, reporting on it.

Although the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Thandi Modise, says that permission was granted for the landing beforehand, she must also explain why the Waterkloof Air Force Base, in particular, was used.

According to the Minister, the cargo was destined for the Russian Embassy and items like diplomatic mail may not be searched.

It is, however, still out of the ordinary to use the Waterkloof Air Force Base for this purpose.

The FF Plus wants the Minister to indicate whether there are other countries that also use the Waterkloof Air Force Base to have their diplomatic mail delivered.

Keep in mind that the Waterkloof Air Force Base is a military base, which may not be used for commercial purposes.

And in this case, it was indeed a commercial aircraft from Russia that landed on a South African military air force base.

The ANC government frequently shoots itself in the foot with its stance on Russia. It says that it wants to remain neutral, but all its actions demonstrate that it is partial in favour of Russia.

It begs the question of whether this concession was a special favour just for Russia's sake?

Issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 5 May 2023