[imagesource:uae-embassy.org]

The president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, landed in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday.

He came with an entourage of 500 other people, consisting of members of the royal family, top artists and entertainers and a whole cohort of staff here to tend to his every need and whim as they all celebrate the end of Ramadaan.

Not only did the president and his people fly in on private jets, but they landed on an R20 million runway that he built with his own money.

What’s more, the royal family and their guests are said to have brought their own furniture, cars, and gym equipment for their two-week stay in the Eastern Cape, noted News24.

On Wednesday, the UAE president joined Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, members of the UAE royal family, staff and artists, who landed at Bulembu Airport near Bhisho on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday respectively.

Al Nahyan touched down in the royal private jet on Wednesday at around 14:00 and was immediately airlifted in one of five choppers that he brought into the country on a cargo plane.

While two of the choppers are used to transport the president and his protection unit, another is an ambulance and the last one is used to carry supplies.

I mean wow, this is just so over the top. I am too overwhelmed to even dare think about the environmental impact of this lavish visit.

A government official said:

“We accepted 500 people in the Eastern Cape since Sunday. This is because the president brought his family and staff, including protectors, doctors and entertainers. On Wednesday alone, we had 15 air traffic movements at the airport.”

“I can confirm that there has been no single incident since Sunday, and we did not compromise any air traffic regulations.”

Okay, but did you wreck the air quality? Probably.

Bulembu Airport, which was the only airport of the Ciskei homeland, was decommissioned in the 1990s but Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane applied to the Department of Home Affairs to declare it the official port of entry for the UAE visitors to land directly from their country.

As if landing on his own airstrip isn’t enough, Al Nahyan is also going to spend two weeks at a private game resort he built from scratch earlier this year after buying a big piece of land in the province two years ago, according to highly placed sources:

Mabuyane’s March visit to the oil-rich country, where he met with Mubadala Investment Group, as well as Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, was enough to establish a proper connection with the UAE President and his people:

A government official in the know said: “He (the UAE president) is on a private holiday. We are building relations with him. Our guests told us they wanted to have a private holiday, and we have agreed.

“We noticed we were not dealing with people interested in PowerPoint presentations and slides. These people are interested in experiencing the Eastern Cape,” he added.

The UAE’s interest in South Africa was first sparked by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2018 visit to that country and Saudi Arabia.

It was then that he triggered financial commitments worth $20 billion (about R364 billion) from the two countries.

[source:news24]