VVIPs gets more expensive flight time while defence services crumble

7 June 2016

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has once again displayed an unshakeable commitment to maintaining the luxurious lifestyle of Cabinet as evidenced in a reply to a DA parliamentary question on the matter of South African Air Force (SAAF) flight hours being bizarrely diverted to transporting so-called “Very Very Important Persons” (VVIPs). 

In the current budget, the total number of flying hours for training and other mandatory defence needs has been slashed to 5000 hours, while the VVIP transport allocation receives a 200-hour bump. 1000 hours – 20% – of the SAAF budgeted flight time is now allocated to the transport of the President and his friends, while the remaining 4000 hours must cover all missions and training. 

This follows the Minister’s commitment to purchase a new VVIP jet for the President, which could cost up to R4 billion of taxpayers’ money. As it stands, pilots are already unable to fulfil flight time requirements, and hasty training trips to foreign countries have to be made to cope. 

The Minister states in her reply that, “The flying hours recorded are informed by the serviceability of aircrafts.” In other words, the flight time is limited by the functionality of our aircraft, which are in a state of disrepair. Unfortunately, the SAAF has already suffered a 37.6% budget cut to technical support services, so the situation is likely to deteriorate even further.  

As has become the norm with the ANC in government, the Minister did not answer the question. Instead, she provided some insight into the bizarre logic behind the funding cuts to our armed forces that simply comes down to keeping the President and those close to him in luxury while millions of South Africans languish in poverty.

The Minister goes on to make this startling statement:“Furthermore the allocation for the VVIP flying hours is a specific allocation and it is ring fenced. This allocation was approved by National Treasury.” When any future budget cuts are made to flying hours, this will have to come out of the very limited hours available for missions and training.

In any event, it would appear that only the Minister of Defence has the right to fly on SAAF Aircraft if there are problems with commercial means of transport. This raises several questions about who these “VVIPs” are and whether they are individuals closely linked to the President such as the Guptas or any other personnel who are not duly authorised to use our defence aircraft.

As such I will be asking questions to get clarity on exactly who these “VVIPs” are and the reasons for their use of state aircraft to ferry them around on the taxpayer’s dime.

South Africans are tightening their belts as our country lurches from one ANC-created economic crisis to another, while the jet-setting lifestyles of President Zuma and his cronies are protected from spending cuts. Ring-fencing the hours allocated to costly jaunts by VVIPs is an outrageous insult to those who do not have access to even the most basic transportation. Once again, the ANC comes first, and the people of South Africa come last.

On 3 August, voters have the opportunity to vote for a party that believes in responsible spending for the benefit of all South Africans and not the small elite beholden to President Zuma and his Cabinet.

Issued by Kobus Marais, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, 7 June 2016