Jacob Zuma wants an aircraft carrier - probably not to defend the country.
But the cherry on top is that convicted fraudster Tony Yengeni will be partially responsible for the decision as to who gets the tender. Smell a rat or two aboard ship? And does it not bring back fond memories of that lucrative arms deal which supplied tons of equipment and some of which lies rusting in various parts of the country?
The Citizen revealed that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has formally registered a project, codenamed ''Project Millenium", to acquire a warship capable of operating more than a dozen helicopters and, possibly, vertical take-off jets.
Although temporarily on ice pending a Defence Review, the warship will potentially cost even more than four frigates bought as part of the controversial 1999 R60 billion arms deal, the Citizen reported.
Advocate Paul Hoffman SC, director of the Southern Africa Institute for Accountability, was reported by the Citizen as saying that the usefulness of the project was questionable and that if Yengeni remained on the review committee it could be argued that the success of the project could depend on the size of the bribes.
Terry Crawford-Browne, chairman of Economists Allied for Arms Reduction, was reported saying the acquisition would be "madness".
Watch your money, folks!
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