The Opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane took to the streets of the Johannesburg central business district on Thursday where he unveiled the party’s ‘Job Not Jets’ billboard, in an event that was attended by scores of DA supporters and the party’s leadership.

The billboard reiterated the DA’s call for President Jacob Zuma to “take responsibility” and cancel the acquisition of a new presidential jet, which allegedly costs R4-billion.

It was unacceptable for the President to buy a new luxury jet at any time, but especially when South Africa was in economic trouble, and when 8.9-million people were unemployed, said the DA in a statement.

“We are saying enough is enough. We want jobs not jets. Zuma is behaving like a blesser. How much more is he going to rob us of?” said Maimane.

Earlier this year the DA had unveiled another billboard that took aim at the African National Congress (ANC) and was later destroyed in Johannesburg. Maimane stated that if the new billboard was destroyed, its words would remain.

The DA leader said that his party was also not satisfied with the R7.8-million Zuma was told to pay back to the fiscus for the nonsecurity features of his Nkandla homestead.

“R7.8-million was just an installment. The President owes us for so much more. He can’t pay 3% for R250-million,” Maimane added.

Zuma’s lifestyle was coming to an end, he declared.

“Nkandla was not enough, now he buys himself the Nkandla air [referring to the new jet] which he co-opted for with his friend Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa,” said Maimane.

Zuma’s current presidential jet, the Inkwazi, was still new as far as the life of an aircraft was concerned, he added.

He claimed that the presidential jet had a lifespan of 12 more years.

Jobs and the Elections
About 600 000 jobs could be created with R4-billion and it could also train 80 000 new entrepreneurs or fund the education of 53 000 students, said Maimane.

He told supporters that the best way to cut the ANC’s power was to vote for the DA on August 3.

“In 2019 we are going to the Union Buildings. South Africans have suffered enough,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Gauteng’s DA-run Midvaal municipality mayor Bongani Baloyi said the ANC was the opposition in his municipality and it would remain so after the August 3 elections.

“The ANC has conceded defeat. The Midvaal – the only municipality run by the DA in Gauteng – has an unemployment rate of 12%. There is real hope for young people in Midvaal,” he said.

He claimed that Midvaal would always be a youth-biased municipality and added that racism was condemned in Midvaal.

After the unveiling of the billboard DA leadership proceeded to the ANC’s headquarters at Luthuli House to a deliver a memorandum to ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe.