The Claw
15th Aug 2004, 20:23
How much more can this airline take?
From Zim Online (SA), 10 August
"Air Zimbabwe losing its wings - and other parts
Harare - Air Zimbabwe has been fleeced of spare parts worth more than $3 billion (US$ 200 million at unofficial exchange rate) in a scam involving senior managers at the national airline, ZimOnline has established. Investigations show that in the last six months alone at least 332 various components were stripped from the state carrier's ageing planes and sent out of the country, ostensibly for repairs. The parts can not be accounted for because they were allegedly sold by senior managers who are said to have set up a thriving racket selling air craft spares to foreign dealers. Air Zimbabwe acting managing director Tendai Mujuru refused to speak on the matter saying, "I am sorry I cannot help you with that kind of information. I do not comment on anything to do with Air Zimbabwe. Please give me time to do my work. I cannot comment on things that newspapers want to write on." Documents shown to ZimOnline outlined how the airline's avionics department would routinely send aircraft components for repairs to Europe and other countries in Africa. A number of these were never returned to Air Zimbabwe because they were allegedly sold by the repair companies when the airline failed to pay. In most cases the parts vanished.
A senior manager at Air Zimbabwe, who spoke on condition he was not named, said: 'Top managers created their brief case companies that acted as agents for the outside repairing companies. On paper, the companies appear reputable and big, giving false physical addresses. Yet when one visits the place, you would only discover that it is a house belonging to one of the managers or a relative.' Several other aircraft parts which were stockpiled in Dubai and Malawi were lost when Air Zimbabwe closed its branches in the two countries, the manager said. Debt-ridden Air Zimbabwe has long been dogged by allegations of mismanagement, money laundering and theft. At independence in 1980 Air Zimbabwe had 15 planes. Today, three remain functional with the rest sitting dilapidated and stripped of almost all usable parts. A probe by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communication earlier this year highlighted deepening corruption at the national flag carrier. The chairman of the committee, Silas Mangono, said, "There were a lot of shady deals which were going on at the airline when it came to the importation of spares, repairs of aircraft. There were some people benefiting from the transactions going on." "We also recommended that the practice must stop forthwith and that the airline must operate along professional lines." Mangono said he expected the government as the owner of the airline to act on the recommendations of his committee. Transport Minister Chris Mushohwe, under whose portfolio Air Zimbabwe falls, could not be reached to establish when he expected Parliament's recommendations to be implemented."
From Zim Online (SA), 10 August
"Air Zimbabwe losing its wings - and other parts
Harare - Air Zimbabwe has been fleeced of spare parts worth more than $3 billion (US$ 200 million at unofficial exchange rate) in a scam involving senior managers at the national airline, ZimOnline has established. Investigations show that in the last six months alone at least 332 various components were stripped from the state carrier's ageing planes and sent out of the country, ostensibly for repairs. The parts can not be accounted for because they were allegedly sold by senior managers who are said to have set up a thriving racket selling air craft spares to foreign dealers. Air Zimbabwe acting managing director Tendai Mujuru refused to speak on the matter saying, "I am sorry I cannot help you with that kind of information. I do not comment on anything to do with Air Zimbabwe. Please give me time to do my work. I cannot comment on things that newspapers want to write on." Documents shown to ZimOnline outlined how the airline's avionics department would routinely send aircraft components for repairs to Europe and other countries in Africa. A number of these were never returned to Air Zimbabwe because they were allegedly sold by the repair companies when the airline failed to pay. In most cases the parts vanished.
A senior manager at Air Zimbabwe, who spoke on condition he was not named, said: 'Top managers created their brief case companies that acted as agents for the outside repairing companies. On paper, the companies appear reputable and big, giving false physical addresses. Yet when one visits the place, you would only discover that it is a house belonging to one of the managers or a relative.' Several other aircraft parts which were stockpiled in Dubai and Malawi were lost when Air Zimbabwe closed its branches in the two countries, the manager said. Debt-ridden Air Zimbabwe has long been dogged by allegations of mismanagement, money laundering and theft. At independence in 1980 Air Zimbabwe had 15 planes. Today, three remain functional with the rest sitting dilapidated and stripped of almost all usable parts. A probe by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communication earlier this year highlighted deepening corruption at the national flag carrier. The chairman of the committee, Silas Mangono, said, "There were a lot of shady deals which were going on at the airline when it came to the importation of spares, repairs of aircraft. There were some people benefiting from the transactions going on." "We also recommended that the practice must stop forthwith and that the airline must operate along professional lines." Mangono said he expected the government as the owner of the airline to act on the recommendations of his committee. Transport Minister Chris Mushohwe, under whose portfolio Air Zimbabwe falls, could not be reached to establish when he expected Parliament's recommendations to be implemented."