UAE president's private visit above board: government

The visit to South Africa by the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and his entourage was preceded by “formal diplomatic correspondence” from the UAE government, says minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

Ntshavheni said the correspondence, stating the intention of the UAE president's intention to visit South Africa in his private capacity,  indicated he would be accompanied by a large entourage and stay at a game reserve he owns in the Eastern Cape. 

“This correspondence reflects the respect shown and care taken by the president of the UAE in informing South Africa of the planned visit and allowing us to make the necessary arrangements in good time.

“The formal correspondence on the visit set in motion South Africa's preparation to extend to the president and his entourage courtesies and services in line with the internationally practised hosting provisions that countries offer heads of state or government and other dignitaries on a mutual basis,” she told a media briefing on Friday.

Ntshavheni refuted claims the Eastern Cape government's preparation for the visit was improper.

“Even though this visit is private, we have taken this step of sharing details with the nation because of the unfortunate and uninformed speculation we have seen around this visit, and which sought to foment suspicion about the visiting president and his entourage and about South Africa's management of this occasion,” she said.

The Sunday Times reported that skies above the rarely used Bhisho airport were abuzz as huge aircraft brought in helicopters, cars and a delegation accompanying the UAE president on a private visit to the province.

The group included Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi who reportedly owns a luxury bush lodge outside Makhanda, and invited guests to a celebration linked to Ramadan. Equipment flown in for the occasion included vehicles and an air ambulance.

Ntshavheni said part of the preparation for the visit was the issuing by the home affairs department of visas to members of the entourage who needed visas to enter South Africa.

She said some members of the entourage carried passports from countries with which South Africa has visa-free travel agreements. 

“This means the department can account for every one of the visitors accompanying the president. It is common for heads of state and government to visit South Africa privately, including for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment,” she said.

Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the UAE president was accompanied by people from other countries who needed visas.

“These were people from 32 different countries around the world. Those who need visas to enter South Africa, we gave them. Furthermore, he was accompanied by people from the  US, Europe and Canada. As you know, people from US, Europe and Canada do not need visas to enter South Africa, but all those who needed the visas, all those visas were issued in our embassy in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

Motsoaledi said they wanted to fly directly to the province because of the amount of cargo and due to logistics issues.

Police minister Bheki Cele said: “They brought some hunting guns. The whole lot of guns they brought were not allowed to come in the country, except a very limited number of firearms that came, and limited number of ammunition, according to the South African laws.

“To do that, the special convoy that deals with the arms issues was sent under the leadership of the provincial commissioner of the Eastern Cape to make sure that everything is according to the law — the Firearms Act of South Africa. So everything is in order.”

Ntshavheni said the transport department had processed  the UAE flight's request to land through the normal channels. 

The department had noted that the Chicago Convention exempted state aircraft from international standards. “However, despite the exemption, such aircraft remain subject to domestic regulations when operating any civilian airport. Such compliance with aviation safety prescription was another key consideration we took into account, which required the necessary exemptions and approvals from the South African Civil Aviation Authority,” Ntshavheni said.

She said the department had also granted landing permits based on the airport being compliant for the operation, having considered requisite approval by the home affairs department. 

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) had dispatched customs officers, including members of its dog detector unit and senior customs managers, to ensure compliance with customs formalities, she added. 

Cassius Sinthumule, head of air modalities at Sars, with responsibility for airports, said all the necessary inspections had been conducted.

“The goods were declared. This is actually a continuous process because similar goods will then have to be declared both in terms of import and also export processes, and there was no currency that was actually found because we conducted a full inspection,” he said.

Ntshavheni said after receiving information the UAE president was visiting the province, all security measures necessary for heads of state were put in place, for example, presidential protectors and visibility.

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