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Africa: Jacob Zuma presidential planes and the brewing controversy

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THE Presidency on Wednesday denied claims that President Jacob Zuma prefers travelling on chartered aircraft, saying he has had to do so because reliable air force aircraft are not available.

“The president and deputy president utilise aircraft provided by the South African Air Force (SAAF),” the Presidency said.

“Currently both the president and deputy president have been transported in chartered aircraft locally and abroad due to nonavailability of reliable aircraft within the SAAF fleet.”
This was in response to allegations made by aviation experts in the media that Zuma preferred a chartered aircraft.

However, the Presidency said it agreed with the experts that the use of smaller aircraft for local travel and general use of the SAAF fleet was more cost-effective for government than hiring.

Zuma has been asked by the DA to stop Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula committing to a R100m jet for the 2016-17 financial year.
In her written response to questions in Parliament, Mapisa-Nqakula told MPs that R100m would be allocated for the leasing of a VIP-configured jet for the financial year.
The minister is adamant that SA will get a new presidential jet.

Speaking before the opening of the Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo in Pretoria on Tuesday, Mapisa-Nqakula said: “We are not prepared to negotiate with the lives of our principals. This aircraft will be obtained and it will be obtained within the next 18 months. The negotiations for this are under way.

“South Africans need to realise once and for all that the principal [President Jacob Zuma] is not the aircraft and that the aircraft [presidential jet] is not the principal.”

Presidency spokesman Dr Bongani Ngqulunga said in a statement both Zuma and vice president Cyril Ramaphosa would rather make use of SAAF aircraft when travelling locally, continentally and internationally on government business.

“Allegations made by aviation experts in the media that President Zuma prefers chartered aircrafts (sic) are not true.

“The president and deputy president utilise aircraft provided by the SAAF. Currently both have been transported in chartered aircraft locally and abroad due to non-availability of reliable aircraft within the SAAF fleet.

“The Presidency agrees with the experts that the use of smaller aircraft for local travel and the general use of the SAAF fleet rather than hiring aircraft would be more cost-effective for government,” he said.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said the Presidential Boeing 737 bizjet was now 15 years old.

“Three years ago it was flying 300 hours a year and that has now reached the 600 hour mark,” she said in support of her assertion that South Africa urgently needed another VVIP aircraft.

She also pointed out that problems had been experienced at various times with the Presidential aircraft and these, along with other challenges experienced by the SAAF’s VIP transport squadron, 21, were currently the subject of a board of enquiry headed by retired air force general Cedric Masters.

defence Web has been reliably informed Inkwazi’s availability record stands at 98%, a point the media experts referred to Ngqulunga say is exceptionally good when comparing it flying hours to that of commercial airlines.

“That the aircraft is 15 years old is no indictment. In fact given its flying hours and the cycles done in that time it should still be in excellent condition,” one said with the proviso that “maintenance is done properly and in accordance with the original equipment manufacturer’s specifications”.

Source: defenceweb.co.za

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