Today the Democratic Alliance (DA) can reveal that the cost of chartering an 18-seater private jet from Pretoria or Johannesburg to Harare, Zimbabwe amounts to approximately R260 000. This is according to two independent companies that are experts in the field of luxury travel. This amount, however, does not include payment for landing rights, parking fees or on-board catering.
The amount that the ANC will have to pay back after its delegation abused public funds to illegally travel to Zimbabwe and back aboard the air force’s Falcon-900 aircraft will therefore amount to even more than this. However, until Treasury, in the interest of accountability and transparency, has confirmed the total amount, and explained how and when the ANC will repay the money, the DA as well as the public can merely speculate.
We therefore call on Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and National Treasury to break their silence on this matter and tell South Africa:
- How much must the ANC delegation pay back for their illicit use of the ZS-NAN jet?
- How did National Treasury arrive at this number?
- What are the terms of the repayment?
While many law-abiding citizens have had to pay fines and were criminalised by the government during the lockdown for simply going surfing or taking a jog, ANC members thought it within their set of special rules to board a State aircraft to attend party business. The ANC’s repayment of this money does not in any way absolve the party of the criminality of their actions. We will pursue this matter until all involved have been held to account to the full extent of the law.
The DA will not allow the ANC to continue to abuse their power and loot our State resources.