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The police's R150m private jet, which was purchased for "operational purposes", is being used to ferry ministers around. (from News 24)

It emerged on Tuesday that ministers had travelled on the plane 12 times between September last year and March this year, including visits to provinces shortly before the elections.

Meanwhile, the air force has a special fleet of planes to take ministers and highly placed officials to their destinations.

Last year, Die Burger reported how the unique jet from the US landed quietly at Lanseria Airport on a Friday night.

Police at the time defended the expensive purchase, saying that the private jet was acquired for operational purposes and to replace the "ancient" Beechcraft which dated back to 1969.

The new Cessna Citation Sovereign can fly for 5 000 continuous hours and land on short runways. The jet plane is therefore able to deploy task force members at almost any location in all nine provinces, and is suitable for use all over Africa.

Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, answered a parliamentary question from DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard on Tuesday, indicating that the jet was not always used for the purposes for which it had been acquired.

The former minister of safety and security and his deputy were flown to an event in Kimberley in September 2008. They also attended "police operations" in December 2008 in George and Cape Town and in January this year, attended the opening of a police office in Ulundi.

The jet was also used in at least nine other trips, for ministers - it is unclear who - to visit provinces shortly before the general election.