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President Zuma must immediately stop the plans to purchase a new jet of R4 billion to show the people of South Africa that he is serious about saving, Dr. Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus chairperson and parliamentary spokesperson on the presidency, said.

Speaking during the budget debate of the presidency, Dr. Groenewald said that the debate is about the approval of the budget for the office of the president. It is a debate on the appropriation of taxpayers’ money to allow the presidency to function.

He said it is well-known that the minister of finance had recently said that the country does not have money and that South Africa should first show a proper growth rate and more income before strict savings measures can be lifted.

“It is therefore very important that the president as the country’s first citizen should take the lead with savings so that the public can see government is serious about it.

“Unfortunately, the president had regularly shifted the blame for Nkandla onto others and said the spending of funds at his home was not in his hands. Even in his apology to the public, he tried to shift the blame onto his legal representatives.

“There is currently a process to purchase a jet of R4 billion for the president. I want to say to the president that he should stop this process so that he will not be able to say at a later date that he did not know about it.

“The Boeing 787 jet is what wealthy countries can afford. We are a developing country with a shortage. Our growth rate is less than 1%, but the president wants to purchase a jet of R4 billion. With that money, between 15 000 and 20 000 homes can be built for poor people.

“There is nothing wrong with the current presidential jet. The president is now again being misled. This is just like a man who has only driven 60 000 km with his expensive car and who one morning finds his car’s battery to be flat. Instead of replacing the battery, he wants to buy a new car.

“It is unnecessary. Stop this waste. Show the nation that as the president of the country, you are serious about saving,” Dr. Groenewald said.

Issued by FF Plus