Chief of the Defence Force General Solly Shoke's R100 000+ first class flight on Emirates is a scandal
25 August 2014
I will request the Auditor-General, Kimi Makwetu, to investigate Chief of the Defence Force General Solly Shoke's R 100 000+ first class flight on Emirates in contravention of the cost containment measures set out in National Treasury Instruction 01 of 2013/2014.
It has come to my attention that the Chief of the Defence Force, General Shoke, together with two other military officers, attended the Defence Services 2014 Exhibition & Conference in Malaysia between 12 April 2014 and 18 April 2014.
General Shoke apparently insisted not only on travelling on Emirates, but also travelling first class to Malaysia to attend Defence Services 2014. However, for some reason he was apparently only able to travel first class on Emirates from Kuala Lampur via Dubai to Johannesburg on 18 April 2014.
Emirates provides an ultra-luxury first class service, with First Class Private Suites, which are advertised as follows: "Each suite comes fully equipped with a sliding door, a personal mini-bar, adjustable ambient lighting, and its own vanity table, mirror, wardrobe, and privacy divider for central suites. And if you want to stretch out and sleep, our crew will convert your seat to a fully flat bed with a mattress, so you can arrive at your destination totally refreshed."
The total cost of General Shoke's return flight on Emirates cost taxpayers more than R100 000.
What is even more remarkable is that General Shoke's decision to fly first class on Emirates was apparently approved by the Secretary of Defence, Dr Sam Gulube, who is the accounting officer of the Department of Defence.
The fact is that General Shoke's decision to travel first-class on Emirates was a monumental failure of judgment: it suggests that he is more concerned with status than setting an example to the Defence Force.
Moreover, General Solly Shoke's decision to travel first class on Emirates was a direct contravention of National Treasury Instruction 01 of 2013/2014: Cost Containment Measures, which clearly prohibits first-class travel.
In the end, it's simply wrong for the Chief of the Defence Force, General Shoke, to spend a fortune on first-class flights when ordinary soldiers, serving on the frontline, do not have the equipment they require, to properly execute their mission, because of budget constraints in the Defence Force.
What is even more worrying is that General Shoke's decision, not only to travel on Emirates, but also to travel first class, was so brazen that it suggests this may not be an isolated incident.
I will therefore:
submit a written parliamentary question probing the particulars of General Shoke's trip to Malaysia between 12 April 2014 and 18 April 2014.
submit a written parliamentary question probing the particulars of General Shoke's international travel between 2011 and 2014; and
request the Audit General, Kimi Makwetu, to conduct an audit of General Shoke's international travel between 2011 and 2014 to determine whether he complied with the relevant legislation, regulations and instructions from the National Treasury and the Department of Defence.
Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of State Security, August 25 2014
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