As children suffer Mbeki splashes out on luxurious plane

Thabo Mbeki is about to take delivery of a new, specially upgraded jet worth £37.5m, as reports showed yesterday that 75% of the South African President's people do not have enough to eat.

Mr Mbeki's decision to proceed with acquiring the aircraft amid worsening poverty has been condemned by the main opposition parties. Pictures of children physically stunted by wasting and the nutrition-deficit disease kwashiorkor were published extensively in the country's Sunday Times newspaper yesterday.

One in five children in South Africa suffers from chronic malnutrition, according to a joint report compiled by the South African government and the World Health Organisation. A national food-consumption survey, one of several studies in the report, found that 50 per cent of households suffer from hunger. Half of the 3,120 children examined had less than half the recommended level of nutrients. Government estimates suggest that around three-quarters of South Africans have inadequate access to food.

Goaded by the shocking figures, the government has set up a committee to investigate ways to concentrate on providing more nutrient-rich food to starving children.

A spokesman for the opposition Democratic Alliance, Anthony Hazel, said yesterday that the acquisition of the aeroplane had come to symbolise all that was wrong with Mr Mbeki's administration.

"The decision to buy the jet is clearly unwarranted expenditure and poor prioritisation of the country's needs," said Mr Hazel. He added that Mr Mbeki, as the new chairman of the African Union, must lead by example and refrain from the behaviour of his fellow African leaders who were squandering public resources on luxuries while millions of their people had no food.

While the basic version of Mr Mbeki's Boeing business jet costs £19.2m, the remaining £18.3m was used to upgrade it to VIP status. It has been fitted with luxury interior fittings including a state-of-the-art office and hi-tech equipment including conference facilities and satellite voice and fax communications.

South Africa's defence spokesman, Sam Mkhwananzi, said that because the aircraft could fly non-stop to Europe and Asia, Mr Mbeki would no longer have to land in other African countries to refuel

But Mr Hazel said Mr Mbeki should have kept his present jet and used commercial flights on long-haul trips to Europe and Asia. "Mr Mbeki should use South African Airways on long-distance trips. Leaders from rich European countries use their national airlines on long trips. A poor country like South Africa cannot afford this luxury," he said.

Wasting, or marasmus, is caused by a severe lack of protein and calories. Children who suffer from it look like pot-bellied skeletons. Kwashiorkor is caused by a severe lack of protein. Children with it can be mistaken for being in good health since they look chubby, but in fact they are bloated.