President still doubling up on VIP transport
Date: 16 January 2012
By Dean Wingrin
Despite the re-introduction of the airforce Presidential jet back into service, a second chartered aircraft is still following the President on his foreign travels.
The Boeing BBJ presidential jet, operated by 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force, returned to South Africa in late December last year after undergoing scheduled maintenance in Switzerland for the previous three months.
In the absence of the BBJ, civilian aircraft had to be chartered for the transport of the President and other VIPs. However, mechanical problems on the chartered aircraft led to a number of diversions and precautionary landings. This, together with delays in the procurement of additional VIP aircraft, led to the resignation of Secretary for Defence Mpumi Mpofu.
However, it would appear that those responsible for arranging transport for the President and his entourage are taking no chances, perhaps fearing for their own jobs. A private aircraft was hired to ‘shadow' the airforce BBJ for the trip by President Jacob Zuma to New York this past week, ahead of South Africa's officially assuming the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for January.
The aircraft, a Bombardier Global Express XRS owned by Aralia Trading (Pty) Ltd, was chartered to follow Zuma on his journey so as to act as a back-up aircraft should the BBJ experience any mechanical issues on the trip. Both aircraft arrived back in South Africa on Friday night at almost the same time. Both aircraft used official SAAF call-signs. The cost to charter the private aircraft is not known.
Meanwhile, the Mail & Guardian newspaper reported on the day Zuma arrived back from New York that "an affidavit tabled in court by new defence secretary Sam Gulube suggests there may have been grave flaws in the R800-million presidential jet tender won by Nigerian-owned charter company AdoAir".
This was in response to an application by AdoAir in the North Gauteng High Court for the reinstatement of a five-year lease agreement for VIP aircraft that it claimed the Department of Defence had cancelled.
The newspaper made further reference to Gulube's affidavit, stating that AdoAir, owned by a prominent Nigerian businessman, had "failed to meet the three suspensive conditions outlined in its acceptance letter: the successful negotiation of the contract; a six-week time frame in which the contract should be "in place"; and the acceptability of the contract, resulting in the provision of two passenger aircraft, one for President Jacob Zuma and one for Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe."
