Armscor has published a tender to lease of an intercontinental VIP aircraft.
Photo by: Duane Daws
JOHANNESBURG – The Democratic Alliance on Wednesday expressed its displeasure over a tender issued for the lease of a VIP aircraft by Armscor.
"We believe that such a procurement is wasteful and an insult to poor South Africans," said DA MP Kobus Marais in a statement.
The tender – posted on the Armscor website last Friday and closing for applications on May 4 – calls for the "lease of an intercontinental VIP aircraft".
Further tender details from Armscor, the the defence ministry's procurement agency, are not available publicly.
However, according to the Democratic Alliance, a request for information issued last year "stipulated a luxurious aircraft with an interior that meets VVIP standards and has a range of 5 500 nautical miles non-stop with 18 passengers on-board, or 7 200 nautical miles non-stop with 30 passengers on-board".
Marais said the DA would submit questions to Parliament about various aspects of the tender.
While he classified the craft as destined to be a "new presidential jet", comment from the Presidency to clarify this was not immediately available.
In November last year, controversy arose over reports that a tender was out for a R4-billion jet which would be used by president Jacob Zuma. At the time, the presidency said it would ask the defence department about the alleged planned acquisition.