The storm around Mlambo-Ngcuka’s holiday, and claims that it cost the taxpayer R700000, featured strongly in many of the speeches in this week’s debate on Mbeki’s state of the nation address.

Since the storm broke, Mbeki had remained silent on the matter, while his spokesman, Murphy Morobe, said the amount of money spent was a “drop in the ocean”.

Replying to the debate, Mbeki said the security arrangements for the president and the deputy president had been in place since 1994.

These arrangements included 24-hour security and “among other things, this means that when they travel by road, they do so in transport provided, managed and run by the South African Police Service (SAPS)”.

He said that when the president or the deputy president travelled by air, they travelled in aircraft “provided, managed and flown by the South African Air Force”.

This was unless circumstances precluded the air force from providing those services.

“These transport arrangements, which are an integral part of the security system decided exclusively by the state security services, and not by the president or the deputy president, apply regardless of destinations and purpose of travel.

“The South African Air Force therefore carried the deputy president to and from Abu Dhabi, as the security regulations require. This was the only cost of the holiday of the deputy president that accrued to the state.

“All other expenses incurred by the deputy president by going on holiday were met entirely by the deputy president, with absolutely no charge to the state,” the president said.

Mbeki said Mlambo-Ngcuka needed a break from work every now and then and, unless the security arrangements were changed, “it will remain the responsibility of the SAPS and the South African Air Force to transport her to her holiday destination”.