Zim trip reimbursement won’t affect PP’s investigation

The Office of the Public Protector (PP) advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane says the ANC’s decision to reimburse the government for the flight to Zimbabwe does not affect the investigation into the political party’s use of a SANDF military jet.

“The PP must still find out what happened and what should have happened, whether there is a discrepancy between the two and, if so, how it should be remedied, so as to avert a possible recurrence,” spokesperson Oupa Segalwe told News24 on Friday.

“In addition, to direct appropriate action to be taken in the event any person is found to have misconducted themselves,” he added.

Segalwe said the matter is already being investigated.

This comes after an ANC delegation flew to Harare, Zimbabwe, on a military jet to meet with Zanu-PF, amid growing reports of an alleged human rights crisis in the neighbouring country.

Trip

The PP received two complaints about the trip from lobby group AfriForum and political party Freedom Front Plus, in which she was requested to investigate the matter.

The ANC is accused of abusing state resources by using the government sponsored jet to Zimbabwe.

AfriForum, in a statement on Tuesday, regarded the ANC’s announcement that it would pay for the use of the air force plane as an admission of misappropriation of national assets.

“AfriForum wants to know how the Minister of Defence can, in any way, justify that this flight on an air force plane was in the public’s interest and we still expect answers as to whether the correct channels were followed,” said head of AfriForum’s anti-corruption unit Monique Taute.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.