South Africa
Calls mount for government to account for Zimbabwe trip─── 07:29 Sun, 13 Sep 2020
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has added its voice to growing calls for the government to be held accountable for the use of a military jet by an African National Congress (ANC) delegation to Zimbabwe.
The group, led by secretary-general Ace Magashule, was in Harare this week for talks with the governing ZANU-PF following fresh reports of human rights violations in South Africa's northern neighbour.
President Cyril Ramphosa has asked Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to explain how state resources in the form of an SANDF aircraft were used for an ANC mission to Zimbabwe.
And while Mapisa-Nqakula works on her response, which the president is expecting by Sunday, Outa is piling on the pressure.
CEO Wayne Duvenage said the blatant abuse of South Africa’s military and taxpayers money has prompted questions about whether the trip was even necessary, given the country's need to preserve resources in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether the trip was a success remains debatable.
Zimbabwe's governing party, the ZANU-PF has made it clear that South Africa and specifically the ANC cannot interfere in its domestic affairs.
