Zuma flight to India had unidentified luggage: Report

JOHANNESBURG: Serious questions are being raised about the security arrangements for South African President Jacob Zuma after unidentified luggage ended up on two of his recent flights, including one to India.

The Afrikaans daily Beeld said it also happened on an earlier flight by Zuma to France. The daily said that there were concerns about bags which were left on the plane as Zuma and his entourage went about their engagements in India during the first week of June.

The captain of the air force plane used by Zuma for official travel had reportedly asked passengers to identify their luggage, after which a few unidentified bags remained behind.

Further investigation revealed that they apparently belonged to an advance team which was already in India to ensure security measures.

There was no explanation as to why this baggage was on Zuma's flight, the daily said, adding that the baggage on the return flight by the Zuma entourage was also too heavy when it was loaded on the plane.

Although Defence Ministry Spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said he had not had any official report on the incident, Beeld reported that an extensive investigation is under way to address the matter amid concerns that illegal or unsafe goods could easily be taken out of South Africa in this manner.

The spokesman on defence matters in the opposition Democratic Alliance, David Maynier, said he would request a special meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence to consider this and other aspects relating to the flights for VIP's undertaken by the Air Force.