President Zuma is being protected from a VIP flight scandal during Election 2014
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has refused to disclose any information about President Jacob Zuma's flights on the Boeing Business Jet and the VIP helicopters, operated by the South African Air Force (SAAF), between 2009 and 2014.
We have spent more than R240 million on President Zuma's private residence ‘Nkandla'.
We have also probably spent more than R230 million on President Zuma's flights on the Boeing Business Jet (‘Inkwazi').
The Minister is clearly trying to protect the President from another scandal in the run up to Election 2014.
Replying to a parliamentary question on the number and the cost of flights undertaken by President Zuma on the Boeing Business Jet (‘Inkwazi') and VIP helicopters, the minister replied:
I cannot reply to the question as the information asked for is by nature sensitive as it pertains to the movements of the State President. I will request the Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence to afford me an opportunity to provide the information in a closed briefing.
There is absolutely no reason why the information requested by me should not be made public.
First, the information is retrospective and could therefore not possibly compromise the safety of President Zuma.
Second, much of the information has been disclosed in the past to the fourth democratic Parliament.
We know President Zuma undertook 286 "VIP flights", at the cost of R140 515 430.15, between 2009/10 and 2011/12.
We also know that President Zuma undertook nine Falcon 900 flights and 27 VIP helicopter flights, at the cost of R1.62 million, for a weekend holiday in Bazaruto, Mozambique.
Third, all the information was disclosed in the past to the third democratic Parliament.
Previously, 16 discrete items of information were disclosed to Parliament on every VIP flight undertaken by the President.
The information included the relevant dates, aircraft routing, names of passengers, and the total - as well as a detailed breakdown - of all the costs.*
The real motive for not disclosing the information clearly has nothing to do with promoting presidential safety and everything to do with preventing another presidential scandal.
We know that millions of rands have been blown transporting President Jacob Zuma around the country, especially to Nkandla, his private residence in KwaZulu-Natal.
Based on average spending patterns, more than R230 million is likely to have been blown on President Zuma's VIP flights.
Moreover, most of the flights would have been domestic flights where more cost-effective commercial alternatives would have been available to President Zuma.
The figure of R230 million excludes, of course, the cost of flights undertaken by President Zuma on VIP helicopters.
When it comes to travel President Zuma has placed himself beyond scrutiny by Parliament.
We do not know how much money is being spent on his travel because the information is classified.
And, we do not know whether the money that is being spent complies with the regulations, because the regulations themselves are classified.
I will, therefore, be writing to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, the Leader of Government Business, requesting him to investigate why information relating to presidential travel, especially the cost of presidential travel, which was disclosed in the past, is not being disclosed to Parliament.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
229. Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:
(a) How many (i) flights and (ii) ferry flights were undertaken by and arranged for the President in (aa) fixed wing aircrafts and (bb) helicopters (aaa) in the (aaaa) 2009-10, (bbbb) 2010-11, (cccc) 2011-12 and (dddd) 2012-13 financial years and (bbb) during the period 1 April 2013 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what was the (i) total cost, (ii) cost in each specified financial year and period and (iii) cost for each specified (aa) flight and (bb) ferry flight? NW278E
REPLY
I cannot reply to the question as the information asked for is by nature sensitive as it pertains to the movement of the State President. I will request the Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence to afford me an opportunity to provide the information in a closed briefing.
Statement issued by David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, March 25 2014
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