Here comes the bribe?
S. African officials on hook after wedding party lands at air force base
JOHANNESBURG— Five South African officials, including police and military commanders, have been suspended after a chartered plane carrying about 200 guests from India to a lavish family wedding was allowed to land at an air force base, the government said Friday.
The scandal, in which the passengers allegedly bypassed customs procedures on their way to a gaudy entertainment complex, has angered many South Africans who see the episode as a case of cronyism linking big business and the highest levels of government in a country where corruption is a growing problem.
The government sought to stem public outrage over the incident, launching an investigation into how the Airbus A330 was given permission to land Tuesday at the Waterkloof Air Force Base and ordering it to fly on Thursday to a civilian international airport in Johannesburg. The wedding festivities wrapped up on Friday.
The guests attended the wedding of Vega Gupta, whose Indian immigrant family has powerful business interests in South Africa, and groom Aakash Jahajgarhia in an extravaganza spanning several days at Sun City, a leisure centre northwest of Johannesburg. Some South African current and former officials also attended.
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said the suspended officials included two brigadier-generals at the air force base and the head of state protocol, Bruce Koloane.
He said the government is “gravely concerned at this violation of the security protocol and total disregard of established practice for clearing the landing of aircraft in a military facility that is of strategic importance to the country.” Radebe added: “Our particular concern is that the aircraft was carrying international passengers who do not fit the category of government officials or VIPs on official duty.” According to authorities, two police officers and a reservist were also arrested for working for a private security company that provid- ed escort vehicles — black BMWs equipped with illegal emergency lights and false registrations — during the wedding guests’ transfer from the military base to Sun City. The Democratic Alliance, an opposition party, said that Parliament should open an investigation and alleged that the government’s reaction was as an attempt to protect President Jacob Zuma and cabinet ministers from the “political fall- out” of the scandal by targeting lower-ranking officials.
South African media reports said a son and a nephew of Zuma were among the guests at the extravagant wedding.
While many South African newspapers focused on the scandal, the Gupta-owned New Age paper carried a front-page headline on the event that read: “A union of elegance and tradition.”