Hon Chair, we all know that the former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, the hon Lindiwe Sisulu, was a big shopper, but we had no idea how big a shopper she was until it emerged that the former Minister had been shopping for a super size R2 billion Boeing 777-200LR for President Jacob Zuma.
Now, the new Minister, looking a little shell-shocked after she took a direct political heat weeks after she had arrived in office, did the right thing and cancelled the purchase of the aircraft. However, the Minister announced that the new procurement process will have to be embarked on, and she has commented on that issue today.
The real question here today, Minister, is whether you think that it is justified to spend billions of rands on VIP jets, when we know that President Jacob Zuma's Boeing business jet is virtually brand new... [Time expired.]... and, most importantly, when millions of people in this country are poor. [Interjections.]