http://www.africaonline.co.zw/mirror/stage/archive/050213/national5346.html
Sunday 13 February, 2005
National News
Fate of mercenary plane under wraps
Kuda Chikwanda Chief Staff Writer
THE fate of the Boeing 727-100 airplane at the midst of the mercenary saga that
gripped Zimbabwe last year and which was resultantly forfeited to the government of
Zimbabwe, remains unknown with government officials refusing to shed any meaningful
light on the use of the plane.
The plane brought the convicted mercenaries to Zimbabwe in March last year, as they
were en route to the Equatorial Guinea to stage a coup, and made a stop-over in
Zimbabwe to enable the mercenaries to make weapons purchases.
The aircraft was then seized by Zimbabwean authorities, who smelt a rat after the
plane’s crew made a false declaration at Harare International Airport.
The magistrates court, in September last year, ruled that US$ 3 million (Z$ 18,6
billion) airplane be forfeited to the state, last September during the delivery of a
judgment in the case of the mercenaries who had arrived into the country illegally
aboard the airplane.
According to official communiqués from the Attorney General’s (AG) office that were
made in September 2004 after the decision by the magistrate’s court, the forfeiture
of the airplane was in accordance with international law standards.
“…if anyone has an interest in the forfeiture, they have up to three years to apply
for the reversal of such forfeiture,” said then Acting-AG, Bharat Patel after the
court order.
However up to now, there has been no application for such forfeiture.
Efforts to get a comment from the ministry of Transport and Communications, part of
whose mandate is overseeing the aviation industry, on the intended use of the plane
yielded nought, with ministry officials denying any involvement with the aircraft.
“Our ministry never handled that issue. It was handled by the justice and security
ministries. We don’t know anything about that airplane apart from that it was
forfeited to the state last year,” said Transport and Communications secretary,
Karikoga Kaseke.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister, Patrick Chinamasa could not
confirm to what use the plane had been put, after it was declared government property
last September, in accordance with international law standards.
“The issue of that plane is an administrative matter. I think the only important
thing that you have to note is that the court ordered that the plane was forfeited to
the state. Whether it will be used or where it will be used is neither here nor
there, and if it becomes important for the public to know, then we let them know. At
the present moment there is no need for the public to know what has happened to that
plane,” said Chinamasa. Minister of State Security Nicholas Goche could not be
reached for comment at the time of going to press.
Speculation had been rife that the forfeited airplane would be given to Zimbabwe’s
beleaguered national airline, Air Zimbabwe, which has been hard hit by operational
problems, one of them being a critical shortage of aircraft.
Despite the Boeing 727 model being the world’s second most successful jet airliner –
behind the 737 make - it however is unlikely that Air Zimbabwe will be interested in
the 41-year-old aircraft.
The prototype 727 first flew on February 9, 1963, and was granted certification in
December of that year, before the first 727 entered service on February 9 1964.
Production of the 727-100 ceased in 1973.
In contrast, the 737 models, of which Air Zimbabwe has owned a couple, made their
maiden flights in 1965 and are still in production.
A glance at the life of the mercenary aircraft reveals that the plane had endured
heavy usage during its 41-year-old history, thus making it an unattractive option to
the national airline for commercial passenger use.
The plane, registered in the United States, first saw commercial aircraft duty in
1964 after National Airlines bought it from Boeing, before it was sold to Intercredit
Corp in 1985, which sold the plane in the same year to Boeing Military Airplane
Company.
On October 3 1985, Boeing Military Airplane Company then sold the ill-fated aircraft
to US general Services Administration and from that period to January 1 2002 when it
was sold to Dodson International Parts, the aircraft was used by United States Air
Force as part of the National Guard.
Dodson resold the plane within three days of having purchased it to Dodson Aviation,
which owned the plane until March 7 when Zimbabwean officials seized it.