The Democratic Alliance has questioned the cost of an official airplane ride that ferried a delegation of senior members of the ruling African National Congress to Zimbabwe to meet with the leadership of ZANU-PF.
The air force flight was scheduled to take the minister of defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, to Zimbabwe for a meeting with her counterpart in that country. She had allowed her party colleagues to join her in the flight.
The cost of the trip was estimated at R230 000, with the ANC – after the use of state property for party purposes became public – being expected to reimburse the state some R105 000.
DA MP Kobus Marais said that he was of the view that this understated the true cost: ‘The R86 000 per hour confirmed by the Minister of Defence to President Cyril Ramaphosa excluded the costs related to landing rights and parking of the Falcon 900 for nearly 24 hours, the costs related to on-board food and drinks as well as the costs related to pilots and on-board staff,’ he said.
The DA also wished to obtain clarity from Treasury as to whether the minister of defence had consulted the minister of finance about taking passengers who were not in the employ of the state. This is required by the Defence Act.
The party also wanted to know whether the Treasury had been consulted in calculating a reasonable amount to be repaid.