Phumzile's 'guest list' grows

2006-01-17 20:21

Pretoria - The guest list on deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka's state-funded holiday was longer than initially thought - but no laws had been broken, said the presidency on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Murphy Morobe confirmed reports that the wife of Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya accompanied the deputy president on the trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Also on board the SA air force Falcon 900 jet were Mlambo-Ngcuka's husband, Bulelani, their two children, and two children of a personal assistant. The assistant travelled separately, said Morobe.

"It needs to be stressed that in no respect did the deputy president - or those who took the decisions regarding the modalities of travel to Abu Dhabi - infringe any law, regulation or prescript," he said in Pretoria.

First reports said Mlambo-Ngcuka took along her husband and their two children. On Monday, the presidency was silent on reports that more people had joined the flight.

Women empowerment projects

Morobe said Zola Skweyiya's wife, Thuthukile Mazibuko-Skweyiya, went along because she was involved in growth initiatives in South Africa.

He said the deputy president had used the trip to learn from the growth and women empowerment projects of the UAE.

Mlambo-Ngcuka regarded Mazibuko-Skweyiya as "the right person" to take along.

He rejected assertions that the trip, between December 27 and 31, amounted to an abuse of power.

"It is preposterous to say that she abused her power. It can't be considered an abuse that she took a friend on the trip to find out about projects she was interested in."

The Democratic Alliance, however, described the presidency's explanation as "laughable".

"The basic underlying fact remains that a trip was undertaken by the deputy president, her family and friends at taxpayers' expense," the party said.

"This is in direct violation of several sections of the Executive Members' Ethics Act."

The DA and the Freedom Front Plus had separately referred the matter to public protector Lawrence Mushwana for investigation.

The SA Communist Party said it realised the deputy president should at all times be under protection, but "this should be done within the framework of some guidelines in which costs are minimised".

It added: "We are concerned that this trip sends an entirely wrong signal to our people."

DA estimates R700 000

Although Morobe could not detail exactly how much the trip cost the state, he said the ultimate cost would be publicised in the presidency's annual report.

The DA has said that the trip cost the taxpayer R700 000.

The trip had been applied for by Mlambo-Ngcuka more than a week before the date of departure and had been approved by accountants and presidency director-general Frank Chikane, said presidency chief operations officer Trevor Fowler.

Mlambo-Ngcuka was not present at the media briefing on Tuesday.

- SAPA