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The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, should make a public statement on the alleged emergency landing of an aircraft transporting Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to New Zealand to attend the Rugby World Cup 2011.

An aircraft transporting Deputy President Motlanthe was reportedly forced to carry out an emergency landing at Wellington International Airport in New Zealand over the weekend.

If the reports are true, this will be the second time that the deputy president has been involved in an emergency landing. An aircraft transporting the deputy president was forced to carry out an emergency landing in the Congo almost two years ago on a return flight from Libya.

The defence department is ultimately responsible for the safety of the deputy president when travelling.

Minister Sisulu should therefore make a public statement and explain:

whether the aircraft was the Falcon 900, operated by the South African Air Force’s Squadron 21, or whether the aircraft was chartered;
whether the deputy president, passengers and crew were in any danger at any time; and
whether it will be necessary to convene a board of inquiry to look into the matter?

We cannot allow the safety of the deputy president to be compromised. The Minister should reassure the public that the deputy president was not in danger at any time.

The alleged incident also raises questions as to why the deputy president could not have travelled to New Zealand on a commercial aircraft? This would not only have been a safe, but also a more economical option.

The DA will therefore submit parliamentary questions on the:

type of aircraft used by the air force to transport the deputy president;
the names of the passengers accompanying the deputy president on the flight;
all the relevant details concerning the alleged emergency landing; and
a breakdown of the costs of the deputy president’s trip to New Zealand.