DEPUTY President Cyril Ramaphosa had to cancel his visit to Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape yesterday because of the technical difficulties with the South African Air Force plane that was due to take him there.
Mr Ramaphosa was scheduled to address the commemoration service of the 31st anniversary of the Uitenhage massacre, in which 19 people were killed when police fired shots at a funeral procession.
The cancellation of Mr Ramaphosa’s flight comes in the wake of the technical problems experienced with the presidential plane that was to due to transport President Jacob Zuma back to SA from Burundi recently. Similar problems occurred on a trip to Russia.
These technical faults have been cited as justifying the call for a new presidential jet to be purchased at an estimated cost of R4bn.
The current presidential jet, Inkwazi, owned by the South African Air Force, has been grounded several times due to mechanical problems, but sceptical opposition party MPs believe that minor and easily fixable technical faults are being used as an excuse to make the acquisition.
Questioned about it in the National Assembly last week, Mr Zuma said it was not his decision and that it lay with those responsible for ensuring the safety of the aircraft. Armscor was reported last year to have embarked on the acquisition process on behalf of the Department of Defence.
No provision was made in the budget tabled by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in February for any such purchase.
South Africa's Inkwazi presidential jet
DEPUTY President Cyril Ramaphosa had to cancel his visit to Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape yesterday because of the technical difficulties with the South African Air Force plane that was due to take him there.
Mr Ramaphosa was scheduled to address the commemoration service of the 31st anniversary of the Uitenhage massacre, in which 19 people were killed when police fired shots at a funeral procession.
The cancellation of Mr Ramaphosa’s flight comes in the wake of the technical problems experienced with the presidential plane that was to due to transport President Jacob Zuma back to SA from Burundi recently. Similar problems occurred on a trip to Russia.
These technical faults have been cited as justifying the call for a new presidential jet to be purchased at an estimated cost of R4bn.
The current presidential jet, Inkwazi, owned by the South African Air Force, has been grounded several times due to mechanical problems, but sceptical opposition party MPs believe that minor and easily fixable technical faults are being used as an excuse to make the acquisition.
Questioned about it in the National Assembly last week, Mr Zuma said it was not his decision and that it lay with those responsible for ensuring the safety of the aircraft. Armscor was reported last year to have embarked on the acquisition process on behalf of the Department of Defence.
No provision was made in the budget tabled by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in February for any such purchase.
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