After Jacob Zuma paid back R7.8 million for his Nkandla home yesterday, it was announced that R100 million has been allocated to the South African Air Force for a VIP jet for the President.
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said in the written reply to parliamentary questions yesterday: “The budget that is allocated for the leasing of the VIP-configured jet for the 2016/17 financial year is R100m.”
The bid was put out to tender on August 18, the minister added, and it is expected that a jet will be delivered to the SAAF in November.
The Democratic Alliance said this sum translated into spending more than a quarter of a million rand on presidential travel every day of the year.
“This equates to R273 972 per day for the lease of a presidential jet for Zuma, more than double the price of a first class round-trip to London,” DA defence spokesman Kobus Marais said.