Mystery over ANC bigwigs' luxury flight

Mzwandile Masina, the deputy trade and industry minister, and four friends flew into Port Elizabeth for the ANC's manifesto launch last week in a luxury eight-seater Learjet 45, but mystery surrounds who footed the estimated R220,000 bill.

Pictures that were briefly posted on social media before being deleted showed Masina, who is also the ANC regional chairman in Ekurhuleni, with Thembinkosi "TK" Nciza, the regional treasurer, and his wife, singer Nhlanhla Nciza, on board the private plane.

The Sunday Times has established that five passengers were on board the jet, which left Johannesburg at 6pm last Friday. Songezo Mjongile, the former ANC secretary in the Western Cape, and Anda Bici, a Gauteng department of economic development official, were also on board.

Masina said he had caught a lift on the plane because he had missed his flight to Port Elizabeth.

He said his flight from Hungary, where he had been for departmental work, had been delayed, causing him to miss his flight to Port Elizabeth.

"Then TK [said he had] ... an arrangement with Songezo. I said, 'Sharp, when are you leaving?'. They said they ... [were] leaving in the afternoon. So it gave me a chance to go home and sleep.

When my comrades had no way to get to PE, I gave them a lift because they are my comrades

"I went home and slept, I woke up then TK came to pick me up. Then we drove to Lanseria [and] we flew to PE," said Masina.

He said he was under the impression Mjongile had paid for the flight.

Nciza, a businessman, said he also did not know who had hired the jet as he was only "taking a lift".

"Are you calling everybody who took a plane to Port Elizabeth? Of course not because your agenda is set by all these EFF boys," said Nciza.

"This is out of order. I got a lift from my friends. Of course there is nothing wrong with that.

"We are mourning the death of our comrades. I don't know who hired the jet, I don't have a jet. I wish to own a jet one day," he said.

Mjongile said the jet had been arranged for him by his company, Kwane Capital, because he had to be in Port Elizabeth and there were no flights. He claimed to be a director at the company.

"There is no controversy about this thing, it is a private sector thing. We were all in the youth league with Mzwandile. We have known each other forever, so when my comrades had no way to get to PE, I gave them a lift because they are my comrades.

"Unless you are saying that Mzwandile broke the law by catching a lift with his friends," he said.

Mjongile said he could not provide proof of payment because the jet had been arranged by his company.

However, Kwane Capital owner Mcebisi Mlonzi denied that his company had chartered the jet. And while he admitted knowing Mjongile, he said he was not aware that the former Western Cape secretary was a director at Kwane.

Bici initially denied being on the flight, but later admitted he was one of the passengers.

Flight leasing company Execujet quoted R218,633 for a round trip on a Learjet 45 from Lanseria to Port Elizabeth. The jet would leave on a Friday and return on a Sunday with a maximum eight passengers.

Defence spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said the department was not involved in chartering the jet.

hunterq@sundaytimes.co.za, jikat@sundaytimes.co.za