‘Sizwe Zuma’ on list of would-be SAA jet fuel suppliers

CAPE TOWN — South African Airways (SAA) has confirmed that a Sizwe Zuma was included in a list of potential new jet fuel suppliers invited to its supplier engagement summit last year, but was unable to say whether or not he is related to President Jacob Zuma.

SAA provided the information to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in a written response to a parliamentary question by DA public enterprises spokeswoman Natasha Mazzone.

Soliciting detail [on relations] isn’t part of the standard operating procedure

SAA said in its written reply that it was not privy to information as to whether or not Sizwe Zuma was related to the president, “as soliciting such detail isn’t part of the standard operating procedure” as suggested by the Public Finance Management Act.

It added that supplier engagement summits were an acceptable business practice.

“In general, being listed on the supplier database is by no means a guarantee that a company will be awarded a contract, as normal procurement processes apply to everyone, including those companies not listed,” the airline said.

News24 reported in July that SAA chairwoman Dudu Myeni — a close ally of the president and chair of the Jacob Zuma Foundation — requested SAA chief procurement officer Masimba Dahwa last year to add the name of Sizwe Zuma and ten other companies to a list of potential new jet fuel suppliers.

Being listed on the database is no guarantee a company will get a contract

The report noted that SAA was in the process of finding new empowerment partners for its jet fuel contracts, estimated at about R10bn a year.

Presidency spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga denied at the time that Sizwe Zuma was a “blood relation” of the president but the report linked him closely to the president’s family both personally and through business ties.

He was listed as a director of Sokhulu Petroleum SA.

Approached yesterday for comment on whether SAA had entered into a contract with Sizwe Zuma, SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said “SAA has not yet made any award for jet fuel supply”.

In reply to a question by DA MP Alf Lees on how much the Treasury spent on its participation in the commission of inquiry into the arms deal, Gordhan said R1.14m was spent on counsel fees.