That is what former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu (right, with the headphones), discovered when she was still enjoying the gravy ‘plane’. Not that she is off the gravy ‘train’, she is now Minister of Public Service and Administration.
The new Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Mapisa-Nqakula, said in parliament that while Sisula was Defence Minister, she flew 203 times with the South Africa Air Force’s Gulfstream jet from 2009 to 2012. That’s not bad, considering we, the taxpayers footed the bill.
But now the former fat cat says she’s got serious concerns because she reckons this parliamentary info cannot be correct. She consulted her diary and according to the diary she only flew in the jet 35 times in what she describes as “official trips with South African Air Force hired planes”. For the record, that is officially called the South African Air Force Reserve Squadron.
And she’s lekker cheesed of: “This incorrect and misleading information was widely covered by the mass media nationally and internationally with an angle to project Minister Sisulu as being wasteful and not taking due care of public resources in the execution of her duties,” her department said on her behalf in a statement.
“Many trips were to and from international destination or when the South African Air Force Falcon 50 allocated for use to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans was not available. Records also reflect that the Minister used South African Airways for her ANC, private and other constituency duties,” the department said.
“In her three years as Minister for Defence and Military, the Minister invited members of the media to accompany her on a number of domestic and international trips to ensure that they understand the progress the SANDF was making. The Minister always maximised the use of the flights by ensuring that all her support staff and advisors and other members of the delegation, including the media fly with her in the SAAF hired planes.” Sounds like one hell of a party…
“The conclusion by some members of Parliament and some in the media based on wrong information is regrettable,” she says.
The Minister would like to put it on record that in all her travels care was taken to ensure that the value of public money is maximised. All of the 35 official trips undertaken by the Minister have led to a better Department of Defence, a better SANDF, a better South Africa and a better continent.”
We say the lady protest too much.
