DA KZN: King’s Lear jet flights run up massive R2.8million bill
6 July 2015
A recent parliamentary reply, by KZN Premier Senzo Mchunu, to a written question by the DA has revealed that Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has run up a massive R2.8million bill on chartered flights over the past two years, most of which were on the mid-size jet, the Hawker 800.
According to the reply, the King made three chartered flights during 2013/14 and 10 during 2014/15. Most flights were from Ulundi with destinations listed as Cape Town, Empangeni, Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Swaziland and a return flight from Durban to Ulundi.
Included are a trip to Cape Town at a cost of R341 691 – to have dinner with a company CEO – and a flight to Swaziland to attend “King Mswati’s” function at R348 010.
The King made a further two flights to Swaziland to attend King Mswati’s birthday and a Swazi Army pass out parade at a total cost of R1 119 574.
The DA is outraged by this expenditure given the ongoing call to cut costs across all KZN government departments.
The questions that need answering are;
- How has this extravagant form of travel benefited the people of KZN since it comes as a direct cost to them?
- What was the purpose of these visits and who authorised such?
- Why is the King unable to use our national carrier SAA and fly business class? Surely the cost saving outweighs the prestige?
The DA is committed to establishing these answers.
During the opening of the KZN Legislature earlier this year, the King himself told MPL’s;
“The oath that you took obliges you – amongst other things – not only to pass legislation but to exercise oversight over government departments and the spending of taxpayers’ money as the country’s constitution stipulates. To the Department of Finance, I am calling on you to tighten the belts and ensure that each cent is spent according to agreed plans. You must know that your department is standing between a shameful situation where our province turns into a playground for corrupt elements and a situation where it is lauded for being a province that uses its finances with prudence and integrity.”
It is abundantly clear that the King does not practise what he preaches and instead believes in ‘do as I say and not as I do’.
The words of King Lear ring out “Ay, every inch a king
Severe cost-cutting measures within the provincial government have affected every department. It is outrageous that such extravagant travel expenditure can be entertained while KZN’s Health and Education departments continue to struggle under current financial constraints.
The DA calls on Premier Mchunu to account to the finance portfolio committee. We expect him to justify just how this type of travel was of benefit to KZN.
We also call on the committee to establish terms of reference to the King’s roles and responsibilities to KZN and to interrogate the scale of benefits of the King.
Our province can no longer be exposed to what appears to be continued fruitless and wasteful within the Royal Household.
The Premier owes it to the people of KZN to ensure that such excessive expenditure is not the order of the day.
Statement issued by Francois Rodgers MPL, DA KZN Spokesperson on Finance, July 6 2015
