Defence Minister to hold urgent briefing on Ramaphosa’s Gupta flight

The Defence Minister on Thursday announced “an urgent media briefing to address issues around the deputy president’s official trip to Japan on a privately owned jet”.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will address the media on Friday after it emerged that Cyril Ramaphosa and a delegation flew to Japan in a Gupta family jet at a cost of millions of rands.

The Times reported that‚ besides the cost‚ questions are being raised as to why a jet owned by a company of which President Jacob Zuma’s son‚ Duduzane‚ is a director was used to transport VIPs.

The issue was pounced on by opposition parties.

The Congress of the People on Thursday lamented that “the once highly respected…Ramaphosa‚ who was an important architect of our Constitution‚ is now also swallowed up in the corrupt activities of the ruling party”.

“We are also aware that big capital had co-opted him long ago‚” the party said.

The Defence Minister on Thursday announced “an urgent media briefing to address issues around the deputy president’s official trip to Japan on a privately owned jet”.That is why he does not see anything wrong in flying on an official trip in a Gupta plane.”

On Wednesday‚ the Department of Defence‚ which hired the plane‚ could not say how much the flight cost‚ and spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said this would be disclosed only next year in the department’s annual budget.

“The South African Air Force leases when an aircraft is unsuitable for the trip to be undertaken or when the aircraft is due for service or is in service. Such leasing is done through a central contract managed by the government through the national Treasury‚ RTC-61 Contract‚” he said.

It is believed the presidential plane will soon be heading to China‚ and that there are not enough pilots.

“This [flight to Japan] is very strange and it poses the question‚ even though it was hired through Execujet‚ why specifically the Gupta family’s jet‚” said the Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesman on defence‚ Kobus Marais. He would pose questions about this in parliament.

Marais said there were other air force aircraft that could have been used‚ including the presidential jet. Another alternative was to do what some other heads of states‚ like the British prime minister‚ did and use the national carrier.

“If the national carrier is good enough for us‚ it is good enough for them‚” Marais said.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party is also seeking clarity.

“As the EFF‚ we have as a matter of urgency written a question for written reply to both the minister of defence and the minister of finance‚ seeking clarity on whether proper procurement processes were followed in granting the contract to a company owned by the friends of the president and his son‚” EFF acting national spokesman Lehlohonolo Fana Mokoena said.

“We call on state institutions to investigate as a matter of urgency the hold that the Gupta family has over President Zuma‚ which allows them to treat our country and its coffers the way they do‚” Mokoena said.

Zuma’s close relationship with the Gupta family from India was heavily criticised in April 2013 when a plane chartered by the Guptas carrying 270 wedding guests was allowed to land at Waterkloof Air Force Base. A government investigation exonerated Zuma and his cabinet‚ and blamed the landing on ‘’collusion’’ by officials. Only one was sanctioned.

According to the South African Airways website‚ the cheapest business-class return ticket from Johannesburg to Tokyo costs just under R42000.