Covering up the hard facts about VIP travel?

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, has refused to comprehensively answer detailed parliamentary questions about 222 national and international flights for VIPs - including the President, Deputy President, ministers and other senior members of the public service - undertaken by the South African Air Force's VIP Squadron (Squadron 21) in the 2008/2009 financial year. (The reply follows below.)

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has asked standard parliamentary questions about VIP air travel undertaken by the South African Air Force for many years and has always received comprehensive answers from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

However, it now appears that the minister has put a "gag order" on comprehensively answering questions about VIP air travel undertaken by the South African Air Force's VIP Squadron. The minister refused to provide details of the departure date, arrival date, names of passengers and a breakdown of costs of each flight for VIPs. The minister also appears to have deliberately understated the costs involved in flying the VIPs.

The cost per flying hour for a Boeing BBJ - the presidential jet - is estimated to be approximately R65 000 per flying hour. This means that the cost of the Boeing BBJ's 65 national and international flights would be approximately R31.8 million rand - not the R9.77 million rand claimed by the minister. Moreover, based on figures provided in replies to parliamentary questions last year, the costs would be as follows:-

• Falcon 900: R 16.7 million rand (458 flying hours @ R36 638.06 per flying hour) - not the R7.68 million rand claimed by the minister;
• Falcon 50: R 8.6 million rand (290.3 flying hours @R29 683.41 per flying hour) - not the R 4.54 million rand claimed by the minister; and
• Citation C550: R 5.1 million rand (225.5 flying hours@ 22 799.95 per flying hour) - not the R 2.73 million claimed by the minister.

This raises serious questions about the accuracy of the figurers concerning the costs of air travel for VIPs provided by the MoD.

What is the minister trying to cover up?

Is it the exorbitant costs involved in air travel for VIPs? The average cost per flight in the Boeing BBJ is approximately R490 000. Of the 65 flights in the 2008/2009 financial year, 37 flights were domestic flights. How much is the ordinary taxpayer coughing up for domestic flights for VIPs on the Boeing BBJ?

Or is it perhaps the names of the passengers on the VIP flights? Which VIPs traveled in the election period? And were they travelling to election-related events?

We need answers to these questions.

The DA will therefore continue to probe and will: -

• resubmit the parliamentary question and insist that we receive a comprehensive answer with all the relevant details about VIP air travel provided by the South African Air Forces' VIP Squadron in the 2008/2009 financial year.

The DA will also:

• insist that we receive comprehensive answers to unanswered parliamentary questions about (1) VIP air travel during Election 2009; (2) chartering aircraft for VIP air travel in the 2008/2009 financial year; and (3) the cost of refurbishing certain aircraft in the South African Air Force's VIP Squadron.    

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION No. 202: NW249E

Mr Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans to:

1. In respect of each specified aircraft in Squadron 21 of the SA Air Force,  (a) how many (i) international and (ii) national flights were undertaken during the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, (b) in respect of each flight (i) what was the (aa) departure date and (bb) arrival date, (ii) who were the passengers on each flight, (iii) what was the (aa) total cost and (BB) breakdown of such costs in respect of each flight and (iv) what was the ( aa) total number of flying hours in respect of each flight and (e) what proportion of the total number of flying hours for fixed wing aircraft budgeted for in the 2008-2009 financial year does the total number of flying hours specified above represent?

REPLY: 

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of defence, July 17 2009

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