Anger at Mbeki's 'vulgar' £33m Jet

A new jet for President Thabo Mbeki flew into a storm of criticism in South Africa yesterday when allies of the government joined opponents in questioning the need for the aircraft and its cost.

The £33m Boeing Business Jet, which is larger and pricier than rival aircraft, was delivered amid accusations that it was a display of luxury at a time when the government said it could not afford Aids drugs for the poor.

Named Inkwazi, a Zulu word meaning African fish eagle, the plane was estimated to cost the equivalent of 7% of the health budget for the current fiscal year.

The government brushed aside protests, arguing that the president's increasingly hectic international diplomacy required an aircraft which could transport large delegations long distances without refuelling.

A spokesman for the New National party, an ally of the ruling African National Congress, said: "We differ on this one very seriously."

The opposition Democratic Alliance was scathing. "The sheer vulgarity of the president's new jet and what it represents is absolutely appalling. South Africa needs jobs, houses and a comprehensive HIV/Aids programme - this new jet serves only to illustrate the deepening rift between the ANC elite and the South African people," said a party spokesman.

It asked why the government had stipulated that the plane should carry a mini mum of 20 passengers, ruling out cheaper alternatives to the Boeing, the Bombardier Global Express and the Gulfstream GV, which can each carry up to 19 passengers. "The two most cost effective jets in this category were excluded."

The Democratic Alliance contrasted Mr Mbeki with Tony Blair as well as the leaders of Botswana, Greece, and New Zealand who flew on scheduled long-haul flights with their national carriers.

The Pan Africanist Congress said the military had spare jets which the president could use. Little is known of the Boeing's cabin but the media reported it contained a queen-sized bed.

The South African ministry of defence said in a statement that Mr Mbeki's schedule necessitated a jet which could fly nonstop to Europe. "This requirement has significantly escalated during the last couple of years, since South Africa's return to the international fold and consequently South Africa's growing regional and international diplomatic initiatives and responsibilities."