OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 4.15pm..
THE government will go ahead with its controversial multi-billion rands arms-for-investment procurement package, Defence Minister Patrick Lekota said on Wednesday.
Lekota repeated that there was no basis for the allegations that ANC MPs had received kickbacks from rival bidders aimed at influencing the arms acquisition process.
He was reacting to PAC MP Patricia de Lille’s announcement in the House last week that she had received a document purportedly from “Concerned ANC MPs” implicating several senior ANC members in corruption.
De Lille called for a commission of inquiry into the controversial deal. Lekota criticised De Lille for not making the source of the document public, despite requests from various government quarters.
He said he had approached Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane to prevail on De Lille to make the names public.
Lekota accused De Lille of wanting to raise her profile “at the expense of using the South African National Defence Force as a football”. The arms deal includes six strike craft, three submarines, four corvettes, four maritime patrol helicopters, 40 light utility helicopters, 24 fighter trainer planes and 28 advanced light fighter aircraft.