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The Eastern Cape provincial government insisted that it followed all necessary and correct procedures to facilitate the visit by United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. ) visits to the province.
His two planes landed at Bhisho airport near Qonce on Sunday and Wednesday with at least 500 people on board. Someone asked why they landed at the airport, which is a military base.
The high-profile visit comes shortly after Eastern Cape Governor Oscar Mabuyane led a delegation to the Arab country.
The province said that as a spokesperson, the presidential visit has the potential to strengthen relations with the UAE, Khuselwa Rantjie explained. “The President of the UAE is on a private visit to the Eastern Cape. We believe this is a strategic opportunity that provides a springboard from which we can strengthen the province’s profile as a tourism and investment destination, especially in the UAE market .”
no violations
The South African Civil Aviation Authority said Bhisho Airport was never decommissioned and was a licensed airport.
The authority added that there were no irregularities brought to its attention. The Eastern Cape government also said the airport had been provisionally designated as a port of entry under South Africa’s agreement to allow the UAE leader to pass through.
It was not immediately clear how long the UAE delegation would be staying.
Meanwhile, the Congress of People’s Representatives (COPE) called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to explain why the UAE President’s plane was allowed to land at Bulembu airport.
COPE said it was a bit like when the Gupta family landed on the Waterkloof military base 10 years ago. “This is the country that gave South Africa the middle finger by refusing to extradite the Gupta brothers, yet they were allowed to enter our country through the back door,” COPE spokesman Dennis Bloem explained.
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