Minister Mapisa-Nqakula, abandon R4 billion VIP Jet plans

29 February 2016

The DA once again reiterates its call to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, to abandon the plans of acquiring a R4 billion VIP Jet for President Jacob Zuma, particularly because we know that the President’s current jet, Inkwazi, is new by aviation standards having only entered service in 2001.

The focus should rather be on ensuring that the current fleet is properly maintained. I will therefore be writing to the Presidency asking them to provide the exact nature of the “mechanical difficulty” and whether proper maintenance is being conducted.

President Zuma was left stranded in Burundi over the weekend due to mechanical problems with Inkwazi. This is likely due to poor maintenance and not because the plane is old and needs to be replaced as the government would like us to believe. As such the procurement of a new jet should not be the priority of government for the President to carry-out his official duties, especially not in the context of a strained economic environment.

While we appreciate the inconvenience of a faulty plane, the reality is that, given the current economic turmoil, coupled with our country’s unemployment crisis, South Africa simply cannot afford to spend R4 billion on a luxury jet for the President which we maintain he does not need. 

The Presidency should focus its financial mandate on the pressing issues facing all South Africans, not the luxury of our state head. 

Statement issued by Kobus Marais MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, 29 February 2016