mrselfdestrukt's Journal: News Flash: 'Gravy Plane' trip was bad judgement.

The fall-out caused by the deputy president's holiday to the United Arab Emirates threatens to take its toll on the African National Congress as the issue becomes a political hot potato ahead of the local government election.

However, it appears lessons may be learnt, with both the presidency and the ANC saying that the policy and procedures that landed the deputy president in hot water could be up for review.

But both the presidency and the ANC insisted on Tuesday that everything was above board and had not "infringed any law, regulation or policy prescript".

The trip had been signed off by presidential director-general Frank Chikane and the fact that it had also involved a free flight on an airforce jet for her friend and her aide's two children was not a breach of policy.

Some political commentators and opposition parties were of the view on Tuesday that Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka's trip was a display of poor judgment.

Among those who accompanied her at state expense on the airforce jet were her husband Bulelani, a former NPA boss-turned-businessman, and two children.

Her friend, former diplomat-turned-businesswoman Thuthukile Mazibuko-Skweyiya, wife of Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya, was also on the plane.

While the deputy president's personal assistant had taken a commercial flight to the UAE, also at a cost to the state, Mlambo-Ngcuka had decided to take the aide's two children on the airforce jet "in the spirit of Christmas", the presidency said.

It also said on Tuesday that the visit had not been for personal gain in terms of business or networking opportunities for Bulelani Ngcuka or Mazibuko-Skweyiya.

Stellenbosch political science professor Amanda Gouws said on Tuesday: "There is a lot of disappointment around this as Mlambo-Ngcuka was seen as the person who would clean it (corruption) up."

The trip had done the ANC election campaign no favours. It gave opposition parties ammunition at a crucial time, she said.

"At local government level corruption is a very big issue," Gouws added.

ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said while he believed the deputy president's intentions had not been corrupt, he was worried about the political impact it would have.

"My main worry is that some political parties are using the situation for political point-scoring.

"We should come together determined to review the policy manual rather than using it as a platform to attack each other," he said.

He said the ANC firmly believed she had done nothing wrong - a point echoed by the ANC Youth League.

The African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe also felt it was more a case of bad judgment than corruption.

Independent Democrat leader, Patricia de Lille said she was glad Mlambo-Ngcuka had tried to explain her action but said it should not be seen as justification.

Former president FW de Klerk said that during his presidency he had not made use of official aircraft to fly overseas on holiday but had occasionally tagged short holidays on to official trips.