Outrage over Chikore post

By Tendai Kamhungira and Fungi Kwaramba |Daily News|

The controversial appointment of President Robert Mugabe’s son-in-law Simba Chikore to a top position at Air Zimbabwe (Airzim) has sparked nationwide outrage, with many people branding the move as “problematic” and calling for an investigation by relevant bodies.

Chikore — who has been appointed as a chief operating officer at the struggling national carrier and is married to Mugabe’s only daughter Bona, the apple of her father’s eye — joins former Airzim captain and relation of the late vice president, Simon Muzenda, Ripton, who was recently appointed as the airline’s chief executive officer.

Ordinary Zimbabweans, pro-democracy groups and opposition parties who spoke to the Daily News yesterday roundly criticised Chikore’s appointment as number two at the troubled airline, with many casting doubt over his qualifications and experience in the challenging aviation industry.

“The appointment of Simba Chikore as the chief operating officer at Air Zimbabwe is a very sad and tragic development for the country. It confirms that the Mugabe dynasty has virtually privatised the State.

“Zimbabwe is now equivalent to a private limited company whose majority shareholders are the Mugabe dynasty and their cronies. The case smacks of naked and crude nepotism as well as patronage,” MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said.

“We challenge the Air Zimbabwe board as well as the minister of Transport to furnish us with full details of Simba Chikore’s professional qualifications as well as his work experience.

“As a party, we doubt that Simba Chikore was subjected to a transparent interviewing process before he landed his new job. More importantly, we have serious doubts concerning Simba Chikore’s suitability for this high-profile assignment at the State-owned airline,” he added.

Human rights lawyer Dewa Mavhinga also said Chikore’s appointment was highly questionable and should be referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission for thorough investigation.

“As far as the public is concerned, Chikore may have landed this job simply because he is … Mugabe’s son-in-law. Indeed, what are Simba Chikore’s qualifications and experience that would make him the best candidate for such a high-profile job? Can his CV be published?

“This appointment dashes any hopes of revival for the beleaguered airline. International investors are also unlikely to want to do business with Air Zimbabwe because it will be seen as lacking in professionalism,” he said.

“The little that is known about Chikore, including work experience, has already been cast in serious doubt. But this appears to be the patronage modus operandi of the ruling party, where they elevate people on the basis of political connections or sexual proximity to the Mugabe family,” Mavhinga added.

Former Education minister David Coltart blamed Mugabe for the appointment of his son-in-law and also questioned his understanding of business principles.

“The problem is that Mugabe himself has never run a tuck-shop and doesn’t understand basic economic laws, despite all the degrees he has. When someone close to the president or anyone in Cabinet is appointed to a senior position in a parastatal, it should be justified publicly,” Coltart wrote on micro blogging site Twitter.

In a sarcastic tweet, former Finance minister Tendai Biti said: “The boy who looks and dresses like a poor man’s version of Koffi Olomide is now a COO. Only in a banana republic”.

Moving to forestall Zimbabweans’ reaction to the appointment on Tuesday, Transport minister Joram Gumbo, argued that Chikore had been the best candidate for the position.

“Yes, . . . Simba Chikore is the new chief operating officer of Air Zimbabwe. We advertised the job and the response was good. I have been given the results of the hiring process by the board chairman and there were seven candidates and he came tops all round.

“It was done by experts and his experience as a pilot for Air Zimbabwe and in Qatar, as well as his training in the US prevailed. He was just too good because the guy who came second was way below him in terms of points.

“I’m aware that some people will raise eyebrows, but from the results I think he deserves the job and as minister, I accept the appointment,” Gumbo told the Daily News.

“It does not mean that the president’s relatives, his children or anyone associated with him cannot be employed in Zimbabwe. I’m a relative of the president but does that mean I’m not supposed to be minister?

“I hope people will not spread lies of favouritism because he truly deserves the job. He was interviewed by both outsiders and the Air Zimbabwe team,” he added.

But this did not stop Zimbabweans, including disaffected Zanu PF bigwigs who alerted the Daily News to the appointment at the weekend, from savaging the appointment and raising questions about the hiring of people to influential public sector positions in the country.

“I know that some people will say I’m saying this because I’m not in good books with the system, but this is not what we went to (the liberation) war for, where your surname, totem, who you know, are related to and sleep with determines your station in life.

“It may well be true that mukwasha (son-in-law), muzukuru (nephew), hanzvadzi (sister) or sekuru (uncle) would be qualified to be appointed to Cabinet or to other high positions, but it is nevertheless inappropriate.

“Seeing that so many well-connected people always appear to be rewarded and accommodated by the system, it makes it difficult for one not to be concerned about corruption and nepotism, which are huge cancers in our country,” a ruling party stalwart said.

Airzim insiders said Chikore and Muzenda had their work cut out at the struggling airline, which is said to be losing up to $3 million a month, and is saddled with a $300 million debt.

The national flag carrier has also over the last three decades struggled to shake off claims of executive corruption and ineptitude, which has led to the dismissals of several senior managers.

After the airline overlooked its former acting chief executive, Edmund Makona, when it appointed Muzenda to the position last month, he quit in a huff, with the parties later reported to have engaged in exit package negotiations. No details about this have been released to date.