By Palesa Matlala
· African National Congress secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says his Libya trip was official and there was no scandal involved.
· Mbalula confirmed he flew on a luxury jet owned by cigarette tycoon Adriano Mazzotti, but denied wrongdoing and slammed media reports.
African National Congress secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has finally spoken out about his mysterious and costly trip to Libya.
Mbalula flew to Benghazi on a luxury Falcon 900 business jet in August. The plane is registered as ZS-FCI and is owned by cigarette tycoon Adriano Mazzotti, but operated by ExecuJet.
According to City Press, the full cost of the flight was around R1.7-million. That included fuel, crew, and landing fees.
At first, Mbalula refused to answer questions about the trip, including who paid for it and what it was for. When asked, he claimed not to “understand” the enquiries.
But he later issued a statement calling the reports “nothing short of sensational” and said they were trying to stir up a scandal where there was none.
“My trip to Libya was above board, and there was nothing shady about it,” said Mbalula.
“As secretary-general I get invited to many countries on the continent and beyond. Most of these trips are not public.”
He said he found it “curious” that City Press expected this trip to be treated differently.
“In a desperate attempt to invent controversy, they elevate the ownership of the jet as a proverbial smoking gun because they have no evidence of wrongdoing.”
Mbalula has now instructed his lawyers to investigate a possible defamation case against the publication.
Pictured above: Fikile Mbalula at an African National Congress press briefing
Image source: Supplied
