Inkwazi
Boeing 737-BBJ "Inkwazi" at Zurich-Kloten Airport in Switzerland
Type Boeing Business Jet
Manufacturer Boeing
Registration ZS-RSA
Radio code LMG1
Owners and operators South African Government
In service 2001 - Current
Status Operational with 21 Squadron SAAF

Inkwazi is a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ / Boeing 737) aircraft used as the air transportation for the President of South Africa and operated by 21 Squadron South African Air Force. It has seating for six ministers and ten significant others.[1] It cost R300m to acquire and another R108m to fit and decorate the interior which can seat up to 15 passengers.[2][3] The jet's name means "fish eagle" in Zulu.[4]

Replacement Tender

In November 2015, Armscor, tendered for the replacement of the Boeing 737 aircraft.[2] The cost of the new aircraft could range from R2-billion to R4-billion.[5][3] Some of the specific set of criteria include, a range of 13,800 km, seating for 30 passengers, a conference room for 8, and a private bedroom and bathroom suite.

The potential replacements include:[6][2]

In October 2016 Armscor announced, "none of the bids achieved a full score satisfactorily in the overall evaluation, thus prompting the cancellation of the tender."[7][8] The company said it was reviewing the tender process and will continue to search for a replacement.[8]

Current arrangement

The current aircraft is still used for regional trips. However when the ageing aircraft has been grounded for repairs, other private aircraft have been chartered.[9][10] When an intercontinental aircraft with a range of 13,300 km is needed, an aircraft has been leased from Fortune Air for almost R2m a month.[11][12][13] The aircraft was back into service as of 2018.[14]

References

  1. ^ "SAAF Aircraft". South African Air Force. 9 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Nhlabathi, Hlengiwe; Gibson, Erika (8 November 2015). "R4 billion VIP jet for Zuma?". Citypress. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b News24, Lizeka Tandwa. "New presidential jet will make Nkandla seem like child's play - Maimane". News24. Retrieved 29 January 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Laing, Aislinn (29 June 2012). "Jacob Zuma 'to buy presidential jet despite South Africa's poverty'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Presidency requests info about Zuma's 'new jet' | eNCA". www.enca.com. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. ^ "This is what Zuma's R4 billion plane could look like". 9 November 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  7. ^ Wakeford, Kevin (25 October 2016). "STRICT TENDER COMPLIANCE KEY TO ARMSCOR'S SUCCESS" (PDF). ARMSCOR. ARMSCOR. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Armscor cancels intercontinental jet tender for South African Air Force". www.polity.org.za. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Abuse of power: African leaders and their flying machines". France 24. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  10. ^ Ramaphosa, Cyril (4 March 2018). "Arrived to a very warm reception in Gaborone". Twitter.
  11. ^ Serrao, Angelique (6 March 2018). "Ramaphosa uses controversial businessman Zunaid Moti's private jet for official trip". News24. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Zuma's R500m backup Boeing is on its way". TimesLIVE. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Zuma ditches presidential plane for a rental that costs R2 million a month". Business Tech. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  14. ^ Helfrich, Kim (21 November 2018). "Inkwazi flying again". defenceWeb. Retrieved 14 November 2022.

See also

Categories