The Congress of the People (Cope) on Thursday used the “reduced circumstances” of South Africa being “only the third-largest economy in Africa” to urge prudence on the purchase of a “Zuma jet”. “While the minister of defence has scoffed at the figure of R4-billion‚ she has refused to play open cards with the country in respect of the purchase of a new executive luxury jet‚” said the party’s Dennis Bloem.Cope called on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan “to honour his pledge to buy only what National Treasury can afford”. This came after Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told Parliament on Wednesday that the procurement of a new jet for the Presidency will go ahead“Taxpayers must know whether South Africa‚ as only the third-largest economy in Africa‚ will keep appropriate company. In our reduced circumstances‚ affordability is the imperative of the moment‚” said Bloem.Bloem said that Mapisa-Nqakula “herself acknowledged that the country has other urgent priorities” and she should “therefore put the purchase of a jet lower down in the list of priorities”.“If there is no spare cash available to purchase an executive jet‚ it must not be purchased‚” he said‚ adding that the party urged Pravin “to weigh expenditure on a new executive jet”. Cope’s call came a day after the Democratic Alliance (DA) called on Zuma himself “to make a public announcement reversing his own government’s decision to purchase a new presidential jet”.The DA said that Mapisa-Nqakula had “refused to disclose to Parliament how much this new jet will cost…effectively giving her department a blank cheque”.“Up until last week‚ African National Congress ministers in Parliament denied the purchasing of a new jet. In fact‚ Buti Manamela‚ the Deputy Minister in Presidency categorically denied this in his budget vote speech‚” the party said.“Therefore‚ either cabinet ministers were misleading Parliament and the nation‚ or the decision was effectively made in the last week.“The Presidency should focus its financial mandate on the pressing issues facing all South Africans‚ not the luxury of our state head.” - TMG Digital ..