‘Maybe we should not take the media on this kind of trip,’ says Ntshavheni

Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has lashed out at the SA media for focusing on the fiasco around the grounding of an SA-chartered aeroplane in Warsaw, Poland, at the weekend, instead of creating a positive spin about the Russia-Ukraine peace mission led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ntshavheni suggested it was unlikely the government would invite journalists on similar missions.

Briefing journalists about the outcomes of Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Ntshavheni said the denial of the SA personnel to disembark could not be considered “a detention”. That is despite the barring of journalists and security personnel from exiting the aircraft for 26 hours.

She accused journalists of focusing on “a small issue” of an aeroplane grounded at Chopin International Airport in Warsaw despite “the generosity of the government” that gave them a flight to cover the African heads of state peace mission in Russia and Ukraine.

The grounding of the aircraft became world news at the weekend, with questions asked about whether SA had followed proper processes.

“I don’t know why as South Africans and SA media in particular, we are obsessed with finding wrong with an initiative that is celebrated worldwide about the initiative of the African leaders.

“It is the first mission in the world around peace in Ukraine that had leaders meeting the Ukraine president and the president of the Russian Federation, and that milestone on its own is significant,” she said.

Ntshavheni said the matters discussed were helping with significant progress in the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“The focus on the negativity of our media in SA should not deter us from the efforts this government and African leaders are making in resolving [the] conflict.”

She said journalists should have focused on this being the first time African leaders were involved in [the attempted] resolution of a conflict in Europe, took an initiative, participated and said there is a possibility of dialogue and resolution.

“As a country, we must focus on that despite our obsession with wanting to find negativity with this government. We must focus on the good the government is doing and give credit where it is due. We will accept criticism when the criticisms must be levelled. Where we have done well, commend us,” said Ntshavheni.

“The aeroplane was a small issue. It was not with the delegation, there was no minister on that aeroplane, there was no president and there was no delay in the SA delegation.”

She said government took a media delegation to provide journalists with a different view of what was happening.

“And maybe it wasn’t ideal for us and we have learnt our lesson that maybe we should not take the media on this kind of trip. We must cover ourselves there and go, because if we are going to take you and then it becomes an issue. We should not be lashed for a small matter. The focus is a peace mission and apologies were extended to the journalists.”

Ntshavheni’s comments were triggered by journalists who questioned whether SA had the correct paperwork for the “dangerous goods” in its cargo, possible poor co-ordination from SA’s side and whether the government had engaged the Polish government on the “detention” of journalists and security personnel after the trip.

Ntshavheni said “nobody was detained” and when an aircraft lands without clearance, that is not considered a detention.

“On our part everything was done according to the normal protocols,” she said.

She sought to clarify that rules that apply on charter aircraft were not the same as those on commercial flights, and on a chartered flight the delegation could carry whatever it’s “supposed” to carry as long as it was declared.

There were no dangerous goods, but weapons for Ramaphosa’s protection, which she said was the norm for all presidents travelling internationally. They travel with their security and their weapons and permits are allowed, she said.

The department of international relations and co-operation and the police whose personnel were being transported would detail what went wrong and where SA “was offended” in diplomatic protocols, and would take the necessary measures through the necessary channels.

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