Zimbabwe will soon have a new private airline to be called the Zimbabwe Airways which should bring some relief to the country.
This should be good news for Zimbabweans but the ownership of this new airline has become a major talking point with a local newspaper the Financial Gazette reporting that the first family of the country own shares in the company.
The paper said its “multiple aviation sources” have confirmed that Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe and his family are “beneficial shareholders” in the airline company.
The paper also reported that the airline’s holding company has been registered in Mauritius which is a tax haven nation.
But media reports have said that the names of beneficial shareholders do not appear in records of the company.
The Financial Gazette has also reported that Mugabe’s son-in-law, Simba Chikore played a key role in setting up the new firm, which is awaiting licences to start operations.
The Transport Minister of Zimbabwe, Joram Gumbo is reported by the newspaper to have said that Mr. Mugabe and his family are not linked to the new airline.
But the opposition has condemned the move with Jacob Mafume of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party saying in a statement that “The law of the land does not allow a president to use his official position for personal gain.”
Zimbabwe’s official state airline, Air Zimbabwe is grappling with debt of more than $300 million and has been prevented from flying to European Union countries.
Source: Africafeeds.com
