ANC condems Gupta jet landing

The military has impounded a civilian aircraft for violating airspace at the Waterkloof Air Force Base. File photo: Herbert Matimba.

The military has impounded a civilian aircraft for violating airspace at the Waterkloof Air Force Base. File photo: Herbert Matimba.

Published May 3, 2013

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Johannesburg - The unauthorised landing of a civilian aircraft at the Waterkloof Air Force Base showed “blatant disregard” for state security and diplomatic protocols, the ANC said on Friday.

“The African National Congress welcomes the preliminary report... into the irregular landing...,” spokesman Jackson Mthembu said in a statement after a government news briefing.

“While we would have preferred government to have responded and intervened earlier, we nonetheless commend the decisive measures taken to date on this matter.”

“We eagerly anticipate the outcome of the final investigation... and reiterate our position that all those responsible for this violation of our country must be brought to book,” said Mthembu.

A jet chartered by the wealthy and politically-connected Gupta family landed at the Waterkloof Air Force Base Ä a national key-point Ä on Tuesday.

It was carrying guests to the wedding of Vega Gupta, 23, to Indian-born Aaskash Jahajgarhia at Sun City, North West. The Gupta's own The New Age newspaper and Sahara Computers.

The private use of the base has been met with widespread criticism from, among others, the Democratic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Congress of SA Trade Unions, and the SA Communist Party.

The jet was moved off the base on Thursday afternoon.

Justice Minister Jeff Radebe announced on Friday that the landing was not cleared by the proper authorities, and that five high ranking officials and military personnel had been suspended.

They are: the Chief of State Protocol ambassador Bruce Koloane; SA Air Force (SAAF) command post Brig-Gen L Lombard; Air Force Base Brig-Gen TS Madumane; Movement Control Officer Lt-Col C Anderson, and Gauteng deputy provincial police commissioner Maj-Gen Phumza Gela.

The SA Police Union (Sapu) welcomed Gela's suspension.

“Although his suspension is associated with the Gupta family fiasco, Sapu feels his suspension is long overdue,” Sapu general secretary Oscar Skommere said in a statement.

“We have long been calling for his suspension and investigation into his role in the management of police in Gauteng... The suspension of Gen Gela will come as a relief to thousands of officers in Gauteng.”

Skommere said Sapu would not accept any attempt by senior officers to use junior officers as scapegoats in the (Gupta) fiasco.

He said it was well known that in the police environment, junior officers took their orders from their commanders.

The Gupta family had no immediate reaction to the government news briefing about the unauthorised landing on Friday.

TNA media chairman Atul Gupta was “unavailable right now”, according to an assistant who answered his cellphone. She did not know when he would be available and said she would relay queries to him.

TNA spokesman Gary Naidoo's cellphone went unanswered, and he did not immediately respond to questions sent via sms. - Sapa

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