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President Jacob Zuma. Photo: Sizwe Ndingane
‘We do not have to explain to anyone the decisions we take. We do not need to call a community meeting about this and we don’t owe anyone answers.”
This was the defiant message issued by the Defence Ministry on Monday in a scathing attack on critics of the multimillion-rand chartering of “shadow” aircraft for President Jacob Zuma’s flight to a UN Security Council meeting earlier this month.
The attack comes after the ministry initially tried to deny the chartering of the aircraft, and follows a barrage of criticism over the hiring of a Global Express aircraft to shadow the presidential plane, Inkwazi, and the use of an SAA Airbus A340 in the saga.
According to aviation sources it can cost up to $15 000 (R120 000) an hour to charter a Global Express, with a flight to New York taking up to 18 hours.
The criticism comes hours after Zuma flew to Qatar on Monday – this time, according to the SAAF, without shadow aircraft. It is not known why back-up aircraft were not needed to shadow Zuma’s plane on this trip.
The saga comes months after the resignation of then-defence secretary Mpumi Mpofu and the attempted resignation by air force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano over embarrassing incidents and close shaves involving the SAAF’s ageing VIP aircraft.
These incidents include the use of convicted South African mercenary Niel Steyl as the pilot on an aircraft chartered to fly Zuma to a UN General Assembly meeting last year.
In one incident involving the SAAF’s VIP fleet, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe had to abandon a leg of his state visit to Nordic countries last year because of technical difficulties with aircraft.
While the air force and the ministry were quick on Monday to silence critics, aviation insiders say the chartering of the aircraft in South Africa was unnecessary and could have been done more cheaply.
A well-placed source, with inside information on the chartering of the aircraft, said if it had been necessary to charter an aircraft to fly Zuma around in the US, this could have been done more cheaply from the US.
“It would literally take one phone call to hire a plane and it would have been more cost-effective. Besides, if there was a problem in the air, what were those shadowing the president going to do? A mid-air transfer?” the source said.
“This is a total waste of money and there is something far more underhanded here. A lot more questions need to be asked.”
Defending the chartering, Defence Ministerial spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabya lashed out at critics.
In an interview with Sapa, he said the ministry did not need to “justify” itself to anyone.
“The funfair about the president’s plane must come to an end,” he said.
Asked to explain his statement, Mabya said a lot had been said during an hour of discussions, “and just to take three lines is not on”.
“Everyone knows this is not free, but those in the air force have to make difficult decisions,” Mabya said.
“Decisions are taken by the air force chief. He is a three-star general and makes very sober decisions, which must be respected.
“We do not have to explain to anyone the decisions which we take. We do not need to call a community meeting about this and we don’t owe anyone answers.”
Asked if he didn’t think the country’s taxpayers were owed an explanation, Mabya said there were accounting structures the ministry followed involving the submission of quarterly and annual reports.
Asked why he had initially denied the chartering, and confronted with audio recordings of New York’s JFK Air Traffic Control towers communication with the aircraft, Mabya said there was no way of authenticating the recordings.
“How do you know they haven’t been edited? How do you know it is not fake?” Mabya asked.
SAAF spokeswoman Brigadier-General Marthie Visser said the Inkwazi had been out of use for three months for servicing.
“Despite rigorously testing the aircraft after it returned from service, the decision was taken to charter aircraft to shadow the Inkwazi. This was done with safety in mind and the importance of the obligations that Zuma had to meet.
“The air force had to ensure that the president was in the US on time and that he was back the very next day for scheduled commitments here,” she said.
Asked why the SAAF’s other VIP aircraft, two Falcon 550s and a Falcon 900, had not been used and whether they were serviceable, Visser said they had been required for other government officials. - Pretoria News
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Anonymous, wrote
This mabya is very much cheeky, n he need to be removed from that position
Mike, wrote
Dear Mr Zuma. You DO have a lot to explain. The people of this country put you in power. You are actually a servant of the people, just like the rest of the government. You are all accountable to us! Sorry to burst your bubble!
Kelly Vorwerg, wrote
"We don’t owe anyone answers" - That is what I am going to say the next time they want me to pay my taxes. Such nonsense!
Anonymous, wrote
The underlying reasons for putting the picture of Pres Zuma with CJ on this story is interesting...
Mike, wrote
How can shadowing an aircraft possibly increase the safety of the aircraft you are concerned about? For heavens sake, were they going to throw a tow rope out if the aircraft ran into problems and stalled. As for the attitude of not being accountable or needing to explain or justify expenditure, that pretty much sums up why our government departments are in the state that they are in.
The Gecko, wrote
So, in essence, what they're saying is "We don't have to explain to you as tax-payers why we wasted your money. We don't have to explain to our impoverished voters why we chose to spend the money they desperately need on unnecessary aircraft rather than teachers' salaries. We are not accountable to anyone. We can continue to spend money on whatever we want and then blame the white man when their isn't enough tax money left to pay the bills." I wonder if my employer would settle for it if he asked me what I did with my time and I told him that I won't tell him because I don't owe him any answers. My guess is I would be without a job pretty fast. And so should this clown be.
Anonymous, wrote
Building Permit Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporation Tax, Income Tax, Value Added Tax, Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel License Tax, PetrolDiesel Tax, Hunting License Tax, Luxury Tax, Property Tax, Service charge taxes, Capital gains Tax, Social Security Tax, Securities Transfer Tax, Road Usage Tax, Local Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Worker's Compensation Tax, Hardly any of these taxes existed 20 years ago... And our nation was one of the most prosperous in Africa. We had absolutely no national debt... Id say you owe a lot of answers you fat criminal pigs.
Dave, wrote
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Why do I involuntarily think back to the bad old apartheid days when these same answers were given with much finger-wagging to the world!
Anonymous, wrote
Was the Apartheid government secretive as said by you here? At least the Apartheid government gave a livable government pension to senior citizens in old age. The ANC corrupt thieving makes up for the shortfall by giving just "a little tip" to pensioners who did the real work in orde for this country to function, for many years of their life.
Anonymous, wrote
This is the attitude of the ANC, they quickly forget where their salaries come from and what their actual job is. Bunch of useless human beings not even fit to clean toilets nevermind run a country. They always feel they don't owe answers to the billions of rands they blatanly steal from every one of us. It is time for Zuma and his cabinet to be brought to justice!
GF, wrote
Re Anonymous 08.42 - What does using THREE aircraft to make sure Zuma gets to the United Nations have to do with running South Africa. What has the previous government got to do with present day waste? Why has the State President made no comment on a matter that he is ultimately responsible for?
@D Man, wrote
I am not really sure if you deserve to be responded to, but since there are naive people out there who often believe untruths and pass it on as truth, I felt I needed to respond. Every person in South Africa pays taxes. There are different forms of taxes, but the most common one is VAT. It is idiotic, therefore, to claim that someone in South Africa does not pay tax, unless such a person is a homeless person. In addition to VAT, people do pay indirect taxes. A company that payes income tax will indeed charge more for their product to cover the income tax, which then means they pay indirectly. To also say that the ANC voters do not pay any income tax is idiotic and ludicrous. I voted for the ANC until 1996 and I suspect I pay more in taxes than you do. I know very many ANC voters who contribute to SARS. Even Cosatu affiliated workers still pay income tax. Teachers, nurses, etc pay income tax. All drivers pay for keeping their cars on the roads, including taxi drivers. So, it would seem to me that your assumptions are based on your own ignorance and inadequancies
Anonymous, wrote
Well there you have it in writting people
Themba, wrote
@just a thought While I agree with you that the safety of the President is imperative whether you like him or not and accepting your argument that it maybe quicker to transfer him to another airplane should there be problems, I have a couple of questions. 1. Why deny that the plane did shadow the president? 2. The plane was recorded to have landed in NYC 2 days after President Zuma landed in NYC, which means your argument would fall flat. Surely, it would take less than 2 days to hire a jet anywhere in Africa and I have no doubt if he had flown on SAA, he would have been there on time as well. 3. Why not use the safest option available, if there was a chance the main airplane had problems? If you have access to several times, do you take the most reliable, or simply take the least reliable and have the reliable one following you? 4. Just because we have a presidency, it does not mean to say they are not responsible for responsible spending. The idea that we cannot question what the president does with our money, even if vaguely approved in the ministerial handbook, is absolutely ludicrous and indicative of the fact that those in government misunderstand why they were voted into power. In case they forgot, they are there to serve the people of this country, not themselves and their cronies. 5. The idiot of the spokesperson still does not get it. Just because the information maybe unreliable is immaterial. It was a fact that the plane landed in NYC and as the spokesperson he should have at least attempted to find out. It is a lousy excuse to claim that his lie was thwarted by the truth, so blame the truth.
tony, wrote
@just a thought - the truth is we never voted for any president. He was voted into power by a small group of anc members who were being threatened, blackmailed and bribed by malema, an all of whome voted for the person who they thought would line their own pockets. There is no democracy. If the public had a say in who would be president it certainly wouldnt be a corrupt fraudster like zuma.
@just a thought, wrote
Point of correction... strictly speaking the public does not vote the President in, which is quite convenient, don't you think?
Gree, wrote
This ANC needs to be voted out They are misusing the public funds
Anonymous, wrote
The President is accountable for wastage of taxpayers money.
Anonymous, wrote
People are pathetic, being in the Airforce in the 80`s, I remember Magnas Malan getting of a plane and remembering he forgot a pair of shoes in Cape Town, he ordered the same aircraft back to get his shoes.
GAV CT, wrote
Typical ANC - their arrogance now rivals that of their supposed hated enemy that they fought against - the National Party!! They don't give a damn about the people, they don't give a damn about the money that's wasted and they CERTAINLY don't give damn about being held accountable! Long live freedom.....and corruption, fraud, nepotism, crime, squalor and zero tolerance for the public.........whose money foots the bill for everything these bloodsucking leeches do!!
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