As Public Protector investigations go‚ this was one of the more unusual cases that involved a minister using a luxury air force jet‚ and a cat fight between two members of the ANC executive. Thuli Madonsela called this investigation "Up in the Air" and it began on November 26‚ 2012 when the then General Secretary of COSATU Zwelinzima Vavi asked the Public Protector to investigate allegations in the media that the South African Air Force was spending large amounts of money flying the then minister of Defence‚ Lindiwe Sisulu‚ between Pretoria and Cape Town.But then three months later Sisulu complained to the Public Protector that she must launch an investigation into the conduct of the new minister of defence and Military Veterans Mapisa-Nqakula for damage done to her integrity.The reason for this was a reply to a parliamentary question asked by the DA regarding Sisulu's use of the jet. The answer‚ according to Sisulu‚ contained incorrect information. In a letter to the Leader of Government Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe she wrote:“I am extremely perturbed by the reply supplied by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and have resolved to pass a motion against her misleading Parliament in the National Assembly on 13 November 2012. A copy of her reply is attached. THIS IS NOT TRUE. The Minister could have checked her facts and even approached me if the was not certain‚ should she have had any intention”.According to the investigation‚ in response Mapisa-Nqakula said that the reply was based on statistics provided by the SAAF and that she took exception to allegations by Sisulu that she misled parliament.But‚ the investigation floundered when Madonsela couldn’t get to meet both executive members.“They just did not avail themselves. They did send information to us but we wanted them both at a meeting‚ something which never materialised. And because this was a self-referral case‚ we didn’t pursue them‚” said her spokesman Oupa Segalwe.The Public Protector closed the investigation.“Normally‚ we’d not close it. The difference in this case is that it was a self-referral and the complainants were not availing themselves to assist us. Besides‚ Parliament was also already dealing with the matter‚” said Segalwe.The Public Protector's report was forwarded to the Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete. Sisulu said last week that she had yet to read the report‚ while Mapisa-Nqakula did respond to questions.TMG Digital/The Times..