I didn’t need Cyril’s say-so for Zim flight: Mapisa-Nqakula

Defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says that “in hindsight” it would “have been prudent” of her to inform President Cyril Ramaphosa before offering an ANC delegation to Zimbabwe a lift on a defence force jet – but she did not need “specific permission”.

This is according to a supplementary report Mapisa-Nqakula submitted to Ramaphosa on September 22 as he held her accountable over the controversial trip. She had come under fire for using government resources to transport senior ANC leaders to Harare on a party political mission.

“I agree in hindsight that it would have been prudent to inform your office in writing of my intention to ferry ANC NEC members, of which delegation I formed part, to meet with Zanu-PF counterparts,” said Mapisa-Nqakula in documents publicly released by Ramaphosa’s office on Wednesday night.

Mapisa-Nqakula decided to tag along with other ANC leaders, including secretary-general Ace Magashule, as part of her meeting with her Zimbabwean counterpart, which coincided with the ANC’s meeting with Zanu-PF.

She cited Covid-19 and lack of commercial flights for offering a lift to senior ANC members.

I agree in hindsight that it would have been prudent to inform your office in writing of my intention to ferry ANC NEC members, of which delegation I formed part, to meet with Zanu-PF counterparts.

However, the defence minister said that in terms of the ministerial handbook, nothing prevented her from attending party political events using an air force jet, and she needed nobody’s permission to “ferry” ANC members on a taxpayer-funded jet.

“... I did not need additional permission to attend to party political engagements using the same SAAF flight as such has already been catered for in the ministerial handbook.

“As to the ferrying of the additional person on the same aircraft, I am not aware of any prohibition on doing such or specific permission that ought to be sought as it is a regular occurrence in the SAAF aircraft to provide for the ferrying of business persons or the like if all are travelling in the same direction as the flight being used for official government purposes,” she argues.

However, the defence force has invoiced the ANC for half the cost of the flight to Zimbabwe – just more than R105,545.

The documents show that the total cost of the flight to and from Zimbabwe was R232,200.

The invoice by the department comes after the ANC committed to pay it back for costs incurred by its leadership following public outrage over the matter.

Ramaphosa has since reprimanded Mapisa-Nqakula over her conduct and fined her three months’ salary as part of her punishment.

A statement by the presidency on Wednesday states that Ramaphosa had directed that all the documents sent to him by Mapisa-Nqakula be made public.

The documents show that Mapisa-Nqakula met her Zimbabwe counterpart, Chamu Zvipange Muchinguri-Khashiri, for only two and a half hours during their official meeting on her state visit.

They both form part of the report to Ramaphosa and an official response to public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane who is probing the matter after official complaints from the DA and the Freedom Front Plus.

Further explaining the reasons for offering her ANC colleagues a lift, Mapisa-Nqakula said: “Given that my official visit to meet my Zimbabwe counterpart had been approved and that the ministerial handbook ... allow me to attend to party political engagement in these circumstances, and the fact that the costs incurred for the SAAF flight will remain the same whether it’s just myself on the plane or others join me, I extended the invitation to ferry the ANC NEC member.”

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