Publication: Noseweek
Issued:
Date: 2005-12-01
Reporter:
Reporter:
Reporter:
| Publication |
Noseweek
Issue 74 |
| Date |
2005-12-01 |
It’s the end of another year: a time to look back and to ponder
the true meaning of things. So, for example, Mr Nose has found himself
irresistibly drawn to more closely consider the statistics for South Africa’s
imports of “aircraft, spacecraft and satellites” – imports that fall within
category H8802 - as collected and collated, year upon year, by the department of
customs and excise.
The same fascination holds for category H8805
(“aircraft launching gear, flight simulators); indeed Mr Nose is convinced his
readers will be equally riveted and driven to meditation by what he has
discovered.
First a look at the more general category, “aircraft,
spacecraft and parts thereof” (H88): The numbers for this category reveal that
for the six years until 2001 South Africa was in the habit of importing anything
from R1-billion to R6-billion-worth of the said items annually – and that less
than 5% of it was ever destined for an importer or importers resident within the
Ethekweni municipality. (Less transformed readers might need to be reminded that
we speak of what was once known as the Durban area.)
But suddenly, in
2002, all that changed: SA’s imports of “aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof”
increased from six billion to R26-billion-worth, while Ethekwini’s share of
these imports rocketed up, from a mere R68-million in 2000 to a stupendous
R14.6-billion in 2001 – more than 50% of the nation’s total imports! The numbers
then stay at almost as spectacular level, averaging R9-billion for 2002 and
2003.
The pattern is confirmed in the figures for imports to Ethekwini of
“aircraft, spacecraft and satellites” (sub-category H8802): a modest few
millions for each year until 2001, and then a sudden increase to R14.5-billion
in 2002.
As for imports of “aircraft launching gear, flight simulators”
(H8805), Ethekwini’s imports rose from nil to R172.5-million in 2002 – 90% of
the national total.
Has Durbs taken to the air and headed for space, as
he always expected it would, Mr Nose asked himself? But then he hears talk in
high places that it all relates to the appointment of BAe (and Mr Zuma’s)
friend, Schabir Shaik as import agent for the SA Air Force – at a time when his
brother Mo (sic - Chippy) was head of defence
procurement. *1 (The SADF had, for all the
decades until then, never felt the need for such a commission-charging
agent).
It was also at about that time, say the men in smart suites, that
the same Mr Shaik became the import agent for SAA - once the airline decided to
buy the latest round of Airbus aircraft from France. (SAA and Airbus have done
business with one another since the 1960s – without needing an agent.) Mr Nose
understands that it is practice for SAA board decisions of major significance to
be endorsed by the Department of Transport. Might it be relevant that Shaik’s
close friend, Mac Maharaj was minister of transport at the
time *1 … ?
With acknowledgement to Noseweek.
*1 Yet more work for the du Plooy
twins and Mr Bloodhound?