South African taxpayers have been forking out R2 million a month for president Jacob Zuma to hire a private jet – while presidential plane Inkwazi remains serviceable and unused, the DA said.<\/p>\n
The party said it was revealed on Sunday that\u00a0the South African Air Force is paying almost R2 million a month for the lease of\u00a0 a jet from Fortune Air, and for a plane that is almost a decade older than Zuma\u2019s Inkwazi jet.<\/p>\n
“The DA position on this has been clear from the very beginning: there is no need for a new jet \u2013 either leased or purchased \u2013 while the current Presidential Jet, Inkwazi, remains, in terms of aircraft standards, relatively new,” the DA said.<\/p>\n
Inkwazi has suffered a number of technical issues in the past year, which the presidency has described as “embarrassing”, including breaking down in Qatar, and leaving the president stranded in Burundi.<\/p>\n
And despite protest from opposition parties, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula stated in May that the government will buy a new VVIP jet for the presidency.<\/p>\n
Read: Expert points out why Zuma doesn\u2019t need a new Jet<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n While no budget has been allocated or a price tag presented, experts have said that the only planes that suit the presidency’s requirements cost a fortune.<\/p>\n It has been reported that requirements include being able to carry at least 30 passengers, while the plane must have a range of 13,800km.<\/p>\n Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula rubbished claims that\u00a0the new plane\u00a0would cost up to R4 billion, as has been quoted in the media.<\/p>\n She said the department had never mentioned the cost of the aircraft, and she did not know where the R4 billion figure had come from.<\/p>\n However, in a recent interview on Talk 702<\/a>, Darren Olivier, senior correspondent at African Defence Review affirmed that the cost to replace the current jet was about R4 billion, while the cost of a second hand plane is approximately R2 billion.<\/p>\n Olivier said that the president\u2019s plane is only 15 years old, and is currently flying far less than equivalent jets in the commercial airline market.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really foolish in my view; there\u2019s no need to replace Inkwazi\u201d. The plane is a Boeing 737 (BBJ) aircraft, Olivier said, adding\u00a0that the plane was bought brand new.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only ever been used for VIP flying.\u201d<\/p>\n Olivier stressed\u00a0that there has never been a safety issue with the current jet \u2013 despite reports to the contrary.<\/p>\n Zuma jet a \u2018strategic asset\u2019 not a toy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This is what Zuma\u2019s R4 billion plane could look like<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on president Zuma<\/h3>\n