President Cyril Ramaphosa has been accused of splurging taxpayers' money on luxury travel for him and his entourage during the Rugby World Cup (RWC) finals in Japan.
This after the DA alleged the ANC government refused to reveal the total costs of his trip to see the Springboks last year.
According to DA MP Kobus Marais, the minister of defence and military veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has refused to publicly disclose why Ramaphosa used a chartered aircraft and how much it cost, citing “security concerns”, which was allegedly the same strategy to avoid financial accountability under Jacob Zuma's government.
News 24 reported that Mapisa-Nqakula, in her response, said questions related to the matter "required a closed session of the joint standing committee on defence as it related to the security and movements of the VVIP".
Marais said: “While the RWC final was a momentous occasion for our country and it was necessary that Ramaphosa attend, there are questions to be answered.
“The DA feels strongly that information about the cost borne by the public to jet President Ramaphosa in and out of Japan does not compromise the president’s personal safety, and has no repercussions of any kind on state security.”
He said the DA would submit an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to force government to reveal how much was spent on chartering the flight.
He said a far more ethical choice would have been for Ramaphosa to use a commercial airline with his personal security team on board with him.
“South Africans have the right to know where and on what their public money is being spent."
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