#Jetgate: Until proof has been produced, we cannot trust payment was made

26 October 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note that the ANC cannot provide proof that they paid back the money incurred when they abused an Air Force jet to travel to Zimbabwe to meet with ZANU-PF.

Until proof of payment has been produced, we can only assume that the payment was never made.

In response to a DA parliamentary question, the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, confirmed said that that “[any] revenue due to the state flows to the National Revenue Fund (NRF) through departments concerned before it is surrendered to the NRF. As it stands, the Department of Defence is still working on the matter and will inform the National Treasury accordingly once the matter is finalized.”

The DA wrote to Minister Mboweni earlier this month to ascertain whether he was consulted by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, NosiviweMapisa-Nqakula to determine a reasonable amount the ANC must pay back for abusing State resources.

Since Treasury has not yet received the payment and the ANC cannot produce any proof thereof, Minister Mboweni should use this as an opportunity to ensure that proper costing is done to ensure that the State is paid in full by his party.

The ANC says that they do not "owe" the DA proof of this payment.  What they do not seem to understand is that they "owe" every single South African taxpayer proof that they paid back the money.

The ANC’s response to our call for transparency is typical of their disregard for any accountability.

The facts are that an ANC delegation completely flouted Treasury and Defence regulations when they travelled to Zimbabwe on board a Falcon-900 jet. This was a flagrant abuse of State resources and their refusal to produce proof is a slap in the face of the taxpayers who had to foot the bill for this abuse.

Issued byKobus Marais,DA Shadow Minister of Defence, 26 October 2020