Zuma's jet is not dead‚ just neglected‚ says DA

President Jacob Zuma’s jet is not dead‚ it just needs TLC‚ the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.

Zuma was stuck in Burundi over the weekend after his jet‚ Inkwazi‚ was grounded because of “mechanical problems”.

Some commentators are saying that the incident was a stunt to justify the purchase of a new jet for Zuma‚ a plan that was shot down when it was suggested last year.

The DA is calling on the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans‚ Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula‚ to “abandon the plans of acquiring a R4 billion VIP Jet for President Jacob Zuma‚ particularly because we know that the President’s current jet‚ Inkwazi‚ is new by aviation standards having only entered service in 2001”‚ the party said in a statement on Monday.

DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Kobus Marais said the mechanical problems were probably due to poor maintenance “and not because the plane is old and needs to be replaced as the government would like us to believe”.

“As such the procurement of a new jet should not be the priority of government for the President to carry-out his official duties‚ especially not in the context of a strained economic environment‚” said Marais.

“The focus should rather be on ensuring that the current fleet is properly maintained. I will therefore be writing to the Presidency asking them to provide the exact nature of the ‘mechanical difficulty’ and whether proper maintenance is being conducted.

“While we appreciate the inconvenience of a faulty plane‚ the reality is that‚ given the current economic turmoil‚ coupled with our country’s unemployment crisis‚ South Africa simply cannot afford to spend R4 billion on a luxury jet for the President which we maintain he does not need.”