Tendai Biti’s opposition People’s Democratic Party has said President Robert Mugabe’s intention to be the first State president in the world to own an airline showed unbridled ambition and shocking greed.
The airline, dubbed Zimbabwe Airways, was said to be purchasing condemned planes from Malaysia Airways.
Mugabes’ son-in-law, Simba Chikore, the current chief operating officer at Air Zimbabwe, was said to have been instrumental in setting the new airline up and is tipped to become its chief executive officer.
A report published in last week’s Financial Gazette indicates that Mugabe went and negotiated the deal on behalf of the Zimbabwean government.
“That a deal can be negotiated on behalf of the State and then turned into a family entity is criminal, Zimbabweans must be angry.
“The source of funds being used to purchase the jets must be disclosed, if the Mugabes are buying the planes using their own money, then an investigation must be opened on their source of funds,” PDP spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.
“The law of the land does not allow a president to use his official position for personal gain.” Daily News
