It was part work, part vacation, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in her first reaction to criticism of her flying to the United Arab Emirates at taxpayers’ expense on an apparent holiday, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Thursday.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said even though she was holiday, her trip was combined with work.
The deputy president said she went on a fact-finding mission in Dubai to study crane-building businesses in that country.
She said this was part of her mission to come up with programmes for South Africa’s accelerated growth initiatives, aimed at seeing economic growth reach 6% by 2010.
It has been estimated that the December trip in a South African Air Force Dassault Falcon 900 jet, on which Mlambo-Ngcuka was accompanied by family members, cost the taxpayer at least R700 000.
The Presidency earlier this week confirmed that Mlambo-Ngcuka undertook ”a private visit” to the United Arab Emirates from December 27 to 31.
”It is part of the convention and practice in government for the state to take full responsibility for the provision of transport and security for the president and deputy president — as well as all associated costs — irrespective of whether they are on official or private travels,” the Presidency said.
The actual type of transport is determined on the basis of security, cost and convenience.
In this instance, Mlambo-Ngcuka was advised that security would be best served by using South African National Defence Force transport.
Such arrangements are standard procedure for many governments.
Spokesperson for the Presidency Murphy Morobe confirmed that members of the deputy president’s family had been with her on the trip.
He said it was ”part of her vacation time”.
The official opposition Democratic Alliance this week requested in a letter that President Thabo Mbeki take action over what it described as ”the possible abuse of state resources” by Mlambo-Ngcuka.
DA MP Gareth Morgan described the deputy president’s trip as ”a gravy plane holiday”.
”While it remains unclear whether South African Air Force aircraft are officially available for private trips by members of the executive, in the context of South Africa’s pressing development needs it would seem that expenditure of this nature is an unaffordable extravagance,” said Morgan.
”It is telling that a high-profile leader such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair makes use of his country’s national carrier. The state is not expected to pay for his holidays,” added Morgan.
The R700 000 would have been far better spent on building houses or employing more police officers, he said. — Sapa