ANC pays back over R100 000 spent on Zimbabwe trip

The African National Congress (ANC) has finally paid at least part of the money spent on its controversial trip to Zimbabwe, using a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) jet.

Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula billed her own party R105 000 for the trip, less than half of the R230 000 it cost in total.

Speaking to Enca on Thursday, 1 October 2020, ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe confirmed they had reimbursed government for the trip.

“I can confirm that having received an invoice on how much the ANC was expected to pay, that money has been paid. The African National Congress has honoured its own commitment,” Mabe said.

He said the party’s treasurer-general Paul Mashatile’s office has processed the invoice.

A number of ANC officials including Nomvula Mokonyane, Tony Yengeni and Ace Magashule flew to the Zimbabwean capital Harare in September to engage the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), the ruling party in that country.

Mapisa-Nqakula defends her lift to fellow comrades

The Democratic Alliance (DA) was one of the first to condemn the trip and accuse the ANC of abusing state resources. Mapisa-Nqakula had initially found nothing wrong with using taxpayers’ money to fund the ANC and its activities, saying she was merely giving them a lift.

“Given that my official visit to meet my Zimbabwe counterpart had been approved and that the ministerial handbook … allows me to attend to party political engagement in these circumstances, and the fact that the costs incurred for the SAAF flight will remain the same whether it is just myself on the plane or others join me, I extended the invitation to ferry the ANC NEC members,” she said.

Mapisa-Nqakula said the reason for her generosity was because there was a lack of commercial flights, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In response, Ramaphosa diplomatically read the minister the riot act, finding that she had made a judgement error by allowing a party delegation to board the jet.

He also announced he would be docking her salary for three months, starting in November.

“Her salary for the three months should be paid into the Solidarity Fund, which was established to support the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic,” the presidency said at the time.