Presidential jet a 'waste of funds'

A plan to buy new jets for the SA Air Force, including one for President Jacob Zuma, has been criticised by the DA as a waste of funds.

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula last week confirmed her department was going ahead with purchasing the jets before April next year.

DA defence spokesman David Maynier said Zuma did not need a new jet as he had a 10-year-old Boeing Business Jet, which had recently undergone extensive maintenance and had clocked up only 542 flying hours.

"The existing presidential jet is also quite capable of doing long-haul flights, though with stopovers on some routes," said Maynier.

Mapisa-Nqakula scuppered a deal for her department to acquire a R2-billion Boeing for Zuma after it was found that the acquisition process had been irregular.

Government specifications for the new planes stated that they should have a range of more than 13300km to reduce the possibility of stop-overs on long-haul flights.

Maynier said: "The acquisition of a new presidential jet is also likely to be at the cost of other more urgent defence capital acquisition projects, such as transport aircraft.

"The new presidential jet will have to be financed from within the existing defence capital acquisition budget. A significant portion of the R4.6-billion surplus in the Special Defence Account is likely to be splashed out on the new executive jet for President Zuma."