DA Slams Ramaphosa for Taking Misuse of Public Funds Too Far in SANDF Helicopter Ride

• A military helicopter ride to Welkom has elicited the ire of the Democratic Alliance
• The opposition party has accused Presidnet Ramaphosa of abusing state resources when chartering the flight
• The DA contends that the president did not require a military escort to attend an African National Congress event

JOHANNESBURG - Images of President Cyril Ramaphosa's South African National Defence Force (SANDF) helicopter ride have the Democratic Alliance seeing red.

The opposition party is accusing the president of taking his misuse of public funds too far by chartering the helicopter flight to Welkom.

Ramaphosa travelled to the Free State to partake in the African National Congress' (ANC) Letsema campaign and engage with party branches in the area.

George Michalakis, a DA MP and Spokesperson for Security and Justice in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), charged the present of conflating his party with the state.

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Michalakis alleges that he received photos from a DA councillor highlighting that Ramaphosa was taking his abuse of state funds too far, even though Ramaphosa is the president of South Africa and requires security and protection, SABC News reported.

The DA MP added that the opposition party did not believe the military helicopter contributed to the president's safety.

Maichalakis claimed that by chartering the military helicopter to an ANC event, Ramaphosa put the SANDF in a position of partiality to the ruling party, which is in contravention of the constitution.

Michalakis released a statement claiming that the opposition party would write to the office of the Public Protector to report the alleged misuse of state resources on President Ramaphosa's part.

South Africans Weigh in on the DA's accusations

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South Africans are torn on whether the president has misused state resources.

Here are some comments:

@LeSudanese asked:

"What's wrong with that? He is the President of South Africa and has to be protected at all times"

@LephansLufuno added:

"Last time I check, he is an incumbent commander in chief of SANDF and number one citizen of the country."

@DanielL50558375 quipped:

"What do you expect him to travel in…. a taxi perhaps?"

SANDF denied spending R2.6 million on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s flight to DRC

In another story, Briefly News reported that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) refuted claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa spent a hefty R2.6 million on a flight to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The statement by the SANDF follows reports published over the weekend that the flight to the DRC cost the nation over R2 million.

The Citizen reported that the South African Airforce had to make alternative arrangements for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fly to the 42nd Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit because the presidential aircraft, Inkwazi, was out of commission.

Source: Briefly News