President Cyril Ramaphosa has reportedly complained to his Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula after he recently flew on a private jet owned by controversial businessman Zunaid Moti.
Earlier this month, Ramaphosa landed in Botswana for his first official visit with the Bombardier aircraft owned by the Moti Company — a mining and property company — because the presidential jet was reportedly taken in for repairs.
The Sunday Times reports that Ramaphosa expressed his displeasure with Mapisa-Nqakula and wanted assurance from the minister that any planes chartered for him by the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) would be vetted first to prevent “further embarrassment”.
The president’s spokesperson Khusela Diko is said to have confirmed that he raised the issue with Mapisa-Nqakula and wanted an overhaul of the relevant systems.
She also confirmed that Ramaphosa had expressed concern at the cost of leasing private aircraft by the SANDF.
Diko told the publication: “Also, the president said that when he travels for official duty there must be the flying of the South African flag, and that can only be done on SANDF planes.”
Apparently this is not the first time Ramaphosa had been embarrassed by being given a chartered plane belonging to “dodgy” individuals. Sunday Times reports that in 2015, he travelled to Japan on a jet owned by the Guptas when he was the deputy president at the time.
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