As was evidenced in the recent trip to the USA by the ever humble and frugally public spirited Jacob Zuma, the South African Air Force has shown itself incapable of providing the equipment necessary to satisfy the presidential transport needs. It is entirely right and proper therefore that South African Airways should receive from the state and the tax payer as appropriate, whatever subsidies are necessary to keep aircraft available at a state of 24/7 readiness so that they can be hired by the SAAF in order to provide the proper form of transport for the president and his sleeping arrangements. The last such trip to the USA apparently required three aircraft to be dispatched in case one or two broke down. With a maintenance reputation as poor as that, it is hardly surprising that the Office of the State President authorises such funding when dealing with his perception of the vagaries of maintenance of the state airline.