Sisulu must open up, not cover up Airbus A400M details

The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu is dead wrong: information about the dodgy Airbus A400M arms deal should be made public and investigated by a special multiparty ad hoc committee of Parliament.

Yesterday the minister claimed that information about the dodgy Airbus A400M arms deal should not have been made public because it was embarrassing and compromised diplomatic relations.

But it now emerges that the minister was briefed and informed about the Airbus A400M deal. The fact is that the minister was informed and has known about the risk posed by the Airbus A400M arms deal for months.

The minister appears to be reverting to her default position which is to cover up rather than to open up.

The key question is this: why, if the minister knew about the massive risk posed by the Airbus A400M arms deal, was the parliamentary portfolio committee on defence and military veterans not informed?

The latest revelations about the Airbus A400M arms deal raise even more questions including:

• whose interests were really served with revelations today that deputy correctional services minister Hlengiwe Mkhize and former Major-General Jackie Sedibe are directors of Aerosud, a local company with an interest in the Airbus A400M arms deal;
• what is the real cost of the eight transport aircraft, given the Airbus claim that the R47 billion price tag is exaggerated;
• why was there a failure to provide for maintenance costs of the transport aircraft; and
• why in the first place was there no tender process for the acquisition of the eight Airbus A400M aircraft for the South African Air Force?

The public has a right to know not only how we got into the Airbus A400M mess, but also how we are going to dig ourselves out of the Airbus A400M mess.

That is why we need to urgently establish a multiparty ad hoc parliamentary committee to investigate the Airbus A400M arms deal.

Statement and report issued by David, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of defence and military veterans, October 16 2009

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