AIR ZIMBABWE SCANDAL DEEPENS.

The dodgy project involving Air Zimbabwe (AirZim) and new airline Zimbabwe Airways is getting murkier, amid allegations that some senior government officials are deliberately sabotaging the debt-ridden national flag carrier to pave way for the new private airline, which will also be emblazoned with national colours.

Aviation sources told the Zimbabwe Independent this week that Zim Airways planes, which were bought using public funds provided by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, will soon land in the country. The planes include four Boeing 777 bought in Malaysia and two Embraer ERJ145 bought from the United States.

Last year, the Independent reported that Zimbabwe's Transport minister Jorum Gumbo and former AirZim chief operating officer Simba Chikore, who is former president Robert Mugabe’s son-in-law, have been assisting in setting up the private airline at the expense of the flag carrier, AirZim, which fell under their purview and supervision, raising a serious conflict of interest on their part.

Dr.Jorum Gumbo.

A wedding picture of Air Zimbabwe Chief Operating Officer, Simba Chikore with former Zimbabwe's President daughter Bona Mugabe.
Image: Herald.

There were indications that following Mugabe’s ouster via a military coup in November last year, the deal had crumbled, as President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga, were opposed to the arrangement. The involvement of their allies has, however, reportedly softened their stance.

Aviation sources say there was a well-calculated plan to destroy AirZim to the benefit of Zim Airways.

“The initial plan was simple; use money from Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to buy planes; register them under Zim Airways; get an air operator licence, then compete with AirZim, but because AirZim has one plane and they have six, AirZim would definitely lose out and eventually collapse,”
said an aviation source.

“The plan has changed a bit and is now centred on ensuring that a partnership between AirZim and Zim Airways is reached along the way. Zim Airways will then bring in their planes and a bit of capital, thereby assuming control of the company, which will result in board and managerial changes.”

The plan, aviation sources say, also involves ensuring that AirZim does not get funding support to cripple its operations.

Gumbo this week, however, told the Independent that he had facilitated Zim Airways to purchase aircraft from Air Malaysia after AirZim failed to raise funds to buy the equipment.

Information gathered shows that Zimbabwe Airways is owned by a local firm, Zimbabwe Aviation Leasing Company (ZALC). An enquiry with the Deeds Office in Harare indicated ZALC was registered under file number 3015/12. The file was, however, missing from the office, meaning the directors could not be immediately ascertained. Aviation experts say although it is saddled with debt, AirZim can be revived if the company’s strategic turnaround plan is implemented.

AirZim immediately requires US$45 million to be operational, according to AirZim’s Strategic Turnaround Plan (2018-2020). The airline requires US$26 million to settle its foreign debt; US$6 million to buy three Embraer ERJ145; US$4,6 million for International Air Transport Association (IATA) clearing house joining fees, among other financial obligations. Official documents show that as at December 2017, AirZim had local debt totalling US$341 million.

Among some of its weaknesses, according to the plan, are a shaky balance sheet, debt overhang, antiquated equipment, thin route network, high litigation, low level of automation and an absence from the IATA clearing house.

Locally-based German aviation expert Jerry Haas, who has been posting accurate accounts on the Zim Airways project, recently posted on microblogging website Twitter saying the Zim Airways deal was reaching finality.

“#ZimbabweAirways back on track. Documentation on the final stage. Should be cleared to take-off soon,” Haas twitted on March 21.

Initially Haas had tweeted that government would wind down AirZim before allowing Zim Airways, which is emblazoned with national colours to take to the skies. This initial arrangement had created a possible conflict of interest between Gumbo and Zim Airways.

Gumbo, however, insisted he would not allow the airline to collapse, although it was failing to attract partners. He said negotiations between AirZim and Ethiopian Airlines collapsed after the latter wanted to set up a regional hub in Harare, that could relegate AirZim to local routes, adding talks between Air Malaysia and the national flag carrier also hit a snag due to AirZim’s weak balance sheet.

“I will not allow AirZim to collapse. I approached 10 airlines to partner us, but only had some discussions with Ethiopian Airlines and Air Malaysia,”

Gumbo said in an interview.

“I have other plans which came after the new dispensation, which is making my life easier. I have some people contacting us to assist, partner or purchase some planes. AirZim as a business, should be viable, but for that to happen, staff culture and attitude should change. That is what will assist us.”

SOURCE:
Independent zw.

Comments

CUBA CLAIMS CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER IS FIDEL CASTRO'S SON.

The suicide note left by Fidel Castro’s eldest son has rocked the Cuban nation this week, with the most astonishing revelation being the claim that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was his half-brother and the son of the late Fidel Castro. The handwritten note left by Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, 68, the eldest of Fidel Castro’s children, appears to confirm the longstanding rumor in Cuba that Fidel Castro fathered Justin Trudeau after a public tryst with Margaret Trudeau in 1970. “ Castro Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning ,” Cubadebate website reported. The death of the high-profile government nuclear scientist, also known as “Fidelito”, or Little Fidel, because of how much he looked like his father, stunned the nation, however it is his “ explosive ” suicide note that has set tongues wagging in Havana. Amid a wide-ranging barrage of compl...

NIGERIA'S PRESIDENT BUHARI TO REDUCE AGE LIMITS FOR POLITICAL OFFICE.

Lagos, NIGERIA: Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will approve a new law to reduce age limits in political office, which could make it easier for younger candidates to run in next year's election. The move comes after intense pressure from youth groups, which pushed the government to adopt the legislation, saying they were politically marginalised. "In (a) few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the 'Not Too Young To Run' bill," President Buhari, 75, said in a speech to mark the country's annual Democracy Day public holiday. Last month President Buhari said that he would run for a second term next year. The bill reduces the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35, and senators and state governors from 35 to 30. The minimum age for national and state assembly members will now become 25. He also reassured Nigerians during his speech of the administration's commitm...

KING MSWATI III IMPORTS 19 ROLLS ROYCE & 120 BMWs FOR PERSONAL USE.

Mbabane, ESWATINI: King Mswati III, the ruler of poverty-stricken African nation Eswatini, has been accused of ‘showing the middle finger’ to his subjects as he flaunts his lavish car collection. Eswatini, known until last year as Swaziland, is a developing country with a comparatively small economy. The average salary in the country is estimated at around £10,000 – meaning that most Swazis would have to work all their lives to get even near owning a Rolls Royce. The 20 Rolls Royces are reportedly to be shared between the King's 15 wives . Image: CEN. Mswati III has this week imported 19 Rollers for his personal use and has reportedly also bought 120 BMWs. Opposition politician Wandile Dludlu condemned the king’s purchase of these luxury vehicles. "Last week, a total of 19 Rolls-Royce cars were delivered to Swaziland for the exclusive use of the king, his mother and his wives," said. "According to reports, some of these cars a...

NIGERIAN STUDENTS GIVE SOUTH AFRICANS & THEIR COMPANIES 7 DAYS TO LEAVE NIGERIA.

Abuja, NIGERIA: T he National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has given all South Africans and their companies operating in Nigeria to shut down within seven days and move out of the country, following the increasing number of Xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. Akpan made the call at a press conference organised by the Chairman, National Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja yesterday August 7th. At the press conference, Akpan said enough is enough with the xenophobic attacks. According to him, Nigerians have tolerated the attacks enough and a decisive action against South Africans must be taken to show strength by the Nigerian government. In his words He said that the picketing exercise was peacefully carried with the hope that the government of South Africa and her citizens would end all forms of attacks on citizens of Nigeria and other African nations. “Behold, the killings have continued and has even assumed a m...

WOMAN WHO HAD 44 CHILDREN BY 36 YEARS-OLD BANNED FROM HAVING MORE BABIES.

Kampala, UGANDA: Mariam Nabatanzi had her first set of twins when she was just 13 and has since had another five sets, three sets of quads and four sets of triplets Mariam Nabatanzi suffers from a rare genetic condition and had given birth to 44 children by the age of 36. Tragically, Mariam has been left to raise her massive family alone after her husband walked out on her almost four years ago. Now 40, doctors have taken action to stop Mariam having more children after it emerged her father had 45 children with several different women. Mariam has three sets of quadruplets, four sets of triplets and six sets of twins and incredibly manages to care for and feed them all on her own. The fertile mum was just 12 when she was married to her husband, who at 40 was 28 years her senior. Just a year later she gave birth to her first set of twins. Now, she and all of her kids have no choice to live in appallingly cramped conditions in just four ...

NAMIBIA VOWS TO GRAB FARMS FROM WHITE FARMERS.

Okahandja, NAMIBIA: Vibrant rows of neatly lined plants grow on a patch once trampled by the cattle of a large commercial farm run by a family of German descent in Namibia. From that 2,400 square-meter rectangle of sand in the northern Otjozondjupa region, Kornelius Hamasab, 69, now produces spinach, onions and tomatoes. Hamasab is among the 16 percent of black Namibians owning arable land in the semi-desert southwest African nation. White Namibians, who are descended from former colonizers Germany and South Africa and make up six percent of the population, own 70 percent of the land. "It doesn't seem right to me," said Hamasab, who acquired his land as compensation five years after the farm downsized into a guesthouse in 2000 and laid off its staff. "The government should do something about it," he added, while his family picked and rinsed collared greens to be sold in the capital Windhoek, 150 kilometers away. Namibia adopted ...

"WHY I RIDE MY BIKE TO WORK", PRIME MINISTER OF NETHERLANDS EXPLAINS.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on his bicycle. Image: Reuters. The Hague, NETHERLANDS: With its sweeping views over the sparkling Hofvijver pond, the Binnenhof – the Gothic castle in the heart of The Hague that houses the States General of the Netherlands – is quite something. It’s little wonder Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte enjoys commuting to his office there. And recently he’s made the journey by bike as often as possible. “I didn't cycle a lot for 10 years. But for the past two years, I’ve had my own bike again and, when the weather allows, I travel into the office that way,” he told the World Economic Forum. The Dutch are famous for their love of cycling. In 2018, the country had more bicycles than people : 23 million to 17 million. More than a quarter of all trips in the country are made by bike and of those, a quarter are for getting work, like Rutte. He explains why it’s long been such a phenomenon: “The Dutch love cycling beca...

MALARIA VACCINE PROVES HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN BURKINA FASO.

A vaccine against malaria has been shown to be highly effective in trials in Africa, holding out the real possibility of slashing the death toll of a disease that kills 400,000 mostly small children every year. The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford University, showed up to 77% efficacy in a trial of 450 children in Burkina Faso over 12 months. The hunt for a malaria vaccine has been going on the best part of a century. One, the Mosquirix vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, has been through lengthy clinical trials but is only partially effective, preventing 39% of malaria cases and 29% of severe malaria cases among small children in Africa over four years. It is being piloted by the World Health Organization in parts of Kenya, Ghana and Malawi. The Oxford vaccine is the first to meet the WHO goal of 75% efficacy against the mosquito-borne parasite disease. Larger trials are now beginning, involving 4,800 children in four countries. Prof ...

SAMUEL ETO'O TAKES SOME LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CAMEROONIAN RADIO STATION.

Younde, CAMEROON: The international football striker Samuel Eto’o fils has filed a complaint at the national communication council against a Yaounde based radio station. A Yaoundé based radio station known as Soleil FM was accosted by the footballer for reasons being that one of its journalists popularly known as Michael Doppas, made some “unjust” statements with regards to his personality during a highly followed program that he anchors. It was therefore reported that Michael Doppas during a recent edition of the program dubbed “Sport et Investigation” referred to Samuel Eto’o as “a footballer with golden legs but with a dark heart”. Samuel Eto'o Fils born on 10 March 1981 is Cameroon's professional footballer who plays for Qatar SC, as a striker. He is the most famous African player of all time, having won the African Player of the Year award four times record: in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010. He came third for the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005, an...

A 26-YEARS-OLD WOMAN ADOPTS 14 AFRICAN ORPHANS.

London, ENGLAND: A young British woman has become mum to a staggering 14 Tanzanian children she met after volunteering in an orphanage on her gap year. Letty McMaster, 26, was just 18 years old when a month-long trip volunteering at an orphanage in Africa changed her life forever. She ended up staying for three years to support the children she had met, and when the orphanage shut down, Letty took in nine youngsters who would have been left homeless. Seven years on, she lives with the children after becoming legal guardian to them ALL - as well as five more kids she met on the streets or at a safe house she runs. Letty McMaster. Letty, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: "These children are my whole life, I raise them all on my own and they keep me going through the long hours of juggling everything. "I'd always had in mind that I wanted to help street children so my family and friends weren't surprised but I never expected to end up doing all this. " I am the pa...

Kioo17 Journal

Search This Blog