No. 1 does not need a new VVIP executive jet

This week, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, confirmed that the acquisition of the new presidential jet for President Jacob Zuma would go ahead and be completed in the 2012/13 Financial Year.

During the defence budget vote debate, the Minister revealed that, "In November 2011, Cabinet approved the acquisition of VVIP aircraft. We have since consulted with National Treasury and funding has now been approved for the acquisition of this capability in this financial year."

The Minister did not disclose any details about the acquisition of the new presidential executive jet. However, it would be safe to assume that "No. 1's" new VVIP executive jet is going to cost a fortune. The last attempt to acquire a Boeing 777-200 LR executive jet, for example, would have cost more than R2 billion.

The primary consideration driving the new acquisition process seems to be "greater range" in order to avoid stopovers on certain long-haul routes to countries such as Australia, Japan and the United States.

Official documents described the previous acquisition requirement as follows: "The configuration of the aircraft is expected to include security and safety consideration as well as VVIP configurations that can carry about 30 to 40 passengers. The required aircraft is a long range of about 7200nm, VVIP aircraft to address the requirement of nonstop flights to Australia, United States of America and Japan so as to reduce schedule risk."

There are several major problems with the acquisition of a new VVIP executive jet for President Zuma.

First, the President does not need a new VVIP executive jet because he already has a perfectly serviceable Boeing Business Jet ("Inkwazi") that has only had about 10 years of service, has recently gone through a period of maintenance, and by last year had only notched up 542 flying hours. The existing presidential jet is also quite capable of doing long-haul flights, although with stopovers on some routes.

Second, the acquisition of a new presidential jet is also likely to be at the cost of other more urgent defence capital acquisition projects such as transport aircraft. The new presidential jet will have to be financed from within the existing defence capital acquisition budget. A significant portion of the R4.6 billion surplus in the Special Defence Account is likely to be splashed out on the new VVIP executive jet for President Zuma.

And third, it is hard to imagine how the Defence department is going to complete the acquisition process in this financial year and comply with defence acquisition policy, which is complex and time consuming. There is clearly massive pressure on the Defence department to complete the acquisition of the VVIP executive jet for President Zuma. However, two previous attempts have had to be cancelled because they appear to have circumvented proper acquisition processes.

In the end, however, it is simply wrong to be spending billions of rands on a brand new presidential jet when so many people in our country are poor and battle each day just to survive.

I will, therefore, be writing to Jerome Maake, Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, requesting him to schedule a briefing on the acquisition of a new VVIP executive jet for President Jacob Zuma.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence & Military Veterans, May 26 2013

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