Two Airforce pilots die in plane crash

An Air Force of Zimbabwe instructor and a female student pilot died when a training plane they were flying developed a technical fault and crashed at Dabuka in Somabula on the outskirts of Gweru yesterday.
The two were on routine training from Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base when the accident occurred. They were identified as Mkhululi Dube, the instructor and his student, only identified as Sweswe. Their ranks could not be ascertained yesterday.

The Airforce of Zimbabwe was by last night still to release an official statement on the accident which occurred at around 2 30 pm.

When a Chronicle news crew arrived at the scene a military medical team had just arrived and was trying to retrieve the bodies that were trapped in the wreckage of the small plane.

Witnesses said the plane which was heading southwards was trying to make a U-turn when it crashed.

“This is usually the training ground for pilots and we usually gather to view their flying prowess. We were surprised when the plane started jerking.

In the twinkle of an eye the plane had crashed and there was a cloud of dust. We rushed to the scene but we could not help,” said a witness who requested not to be named.

A team from the Air Force of Zimbabwe arrived at the scene some 20 minutes after the crash and dispersed villagers who had just gathered before retrieving the bodies.

Josiah Tungamirai Acting Base Commander, Group Captain Esswein Masuku declined to comment over the matter referring all questions to the Airforce of Zimbabwe Headquarters. The Chronicle

Air Force of ZimbabwegweruJosiah Tungamirai Air Force BaseMkhululi Dube
Comments (73)
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    • Edmund Ironside

      Dickson Murozva all your relatives or friends do you say hakuna musoja kana mupurisa.its all our way , just respect the dead ,politics aside

    • Talen Mapanga

      They are not politicians, they are civil servants.

    • Dickson Murozva

      Edmund Ironside they kill unarmed ppl , they are zanu Soldiers

    • Dickson Murozva

      Calvin Gara yes God shall bless me bcz my hands are clean

    • Edmund Ironside

      Dickson Murozva Dont go the extreme ,hauna hama here or sister or cousine or friend akaroorwa nemusoja or hama musoja .hauna hama imosapota Zanu here ,can you kill him or poison him

    • Dickson Murozva

      I will wait for God to his job like he did to the two

    • Edmund Ironside

      Politics ngadzirege kuku buritsa mugwara re normal living.all humans are born to die including you mafiro chete anosiyana.That lady afa uyo is just like your sister trying to get a carrier as a pilot.

  • Sharon Dube

    Sad that was our dream to join air force back at school..nxaaa are those govt things even serviced.RIP.

  • Ruth Nhowe

    Oooooooh so sad may their dear souls rest in eternal peace

  • Ku Dzie

    with those kind of planes I won’t allow my child to join such a suicidal air fools of Zimbabwe

    • Hayiya Masuku

      Ku Dzie your child should pass A level first then airforce will tell whether he or she qualifys

    • Murevi Chokwadi

      Hayiya Masuku don’t run away from the fact that these planes are in a sorry state

  • Kudzanai Chafa

    ASIYANGAISINA BVUTEKI KANI ..KANA KUMBOITA TUMOTO ZVATWO…

  • MJ Jam

    Zvima old planes zvenyu izvo belong in the museum

  • Patson Zindove

    Yakatengwa rini ndege yacho 40 yrs back zanu pf go to hell

  • Isrial Fainos Maburo

    Zim has no capacity to train pilots,send the trainees to well resourced nations like SA for training,young life unnecessarily lost ,rip pilot

    • Yun Ferhem

      Isrial Fainos Maburo unobvepiko iwe, so unofunga kuti maSA soldiers are far much trained than Zim soldiers,vekuSA vanofanira kutouya kuno kuzo trainer

    • Hayiya Masuku

      Isrial Fainos Maburo stupid and shallow minded

    • Murevi Chokwadi

      Yun Ferhem with your antiques of armoury you are jocking right?

    • Yun Ferhem

      Murevi Chokwadi Zim haifukure hapwa asekuru,muno tingamama nenhamo vachipedzera mari mukutenga zvombo kana uchiziva unoziva

    • Murevi Chokwadi

      Yun Ferhem mari irikubiwa that’s the truth hona dzimba dzavanogara

    • Yun Ferhem

      Murevi Chokwadi unofunga maChina nemaRussians arikupihwa migodhi muno arikupihwa for free?

    • Yun Ferhem

      Murevi Chokwadi kubiwa irikubiwa but pazvombo apo varikutenga day and nyt kungoti kuno kuZim havaite seSA palockdown chaipo SA yakaburitsa zvombo zvinotyisa but Zim waiona masoldier aine tuma Ak47 chete nezvimota zviya zvatajaira

    • Murevi Chokwadi

      Yun Ferhem shamwari paye ndopanonzi hapana hapana.ngatisazvifadze nenhema

    • Isrial Fainos Maburo

      Yun Ferhem you didn’t get me well.Airforce is more technical hence need for modernised equipment that our poor,misgoverned country can’t have.

    • Rhema Chikerema

      Isrial Fainos Maburo south African trainers are trained in Zimbabwe you don’t know that all sadac trainers are trained in Zimbabwe my friend

    • Isrial Fainos Maburo

      Rhema Chikerema you are not getting the point bro.Equipment equipment equipment equipment hey

    • Rhema Chikerema

      Isrial Fainos Maburo so those who send their soldiers here are fools witch country can send it’s troops when the iqwepment is not good it’s called accident even a car from the garage can burn

    • Isrial Fainos Maburo

      Rhema Chikerema they just send ground troops for physique ,where is the equipment you’re talking about?Forces are even underpaid Whatmore the expensive planes needed to train a pilot .Poor plane quality is to blame for the death of the trainee.Thiz planes were bought by Douglas Smith and are outdated already .

    • Rhema Chikerema

      Isrial Fainos Maburo soldiers are not bieng paid honestly but these people they are busy buying guns and iquipment

    • Rhema Chikerema

      Isrial Fainos Maburo do you know Zimbabwe has got MiG 29 get’s it’s the only country in Africa do you know Suri Suri what’s kept there amunesion Zimbabwe is the best in Africa

    • Ku Dzie

      @Rhema stop lying MiG 29 is very old plane , used by most of the North African states also North Korea and India …its left with less than 10 years in services and some countries are already throwing it to the scrap yard …ndonhema dzamoudzwa ku Zanu pf nezvidhara zvakafuta matumbu neropa revanhu

    • Sharon Dube

      Ku Dzie Ahhh the person you arguing with ka just doesn’t get it …but zvitumbu zvakafutha neyi 🤣🤣🤣

    • Hayiya Masuku

      Isrial Fainos Maburo don’t be emotional on things you don’t have control over

    • Renia Lefati

      Murevi Chokwadi tochingoti hint don’t play negomo repa Mount Hampden ndohozi yezvombo underg

    • Murevi Chokwadi

      Rhema Chikerema musazvinyepere Google best armies in Africa kwete kuzvishoresa pajekerere

    • Murevi Chokwadi

      Renia Lefati tete pane nyika dzakapakata zvombo zvemazuva ano kwete zvenguva yaSmith

    • Baba Refrigeration

      Isrial Fainos Maburo yaaa ndaona Kuti unoziva Wangu ;siyana nevari kukupikisa vachiri kufunga chisoja Chekare chemusango kkkkkkk besides tichine zvindenge zvakare

    • Baba Refrigeration

      Rhema Chikerema Best pachii??,with ancient Equipment too much Propaganda in ur head

  • Tinashe Gomba

    “Technical fault” = ndege yakafa. It’s not like it developed on the air!!!

  • Renia Lefati

    Vanoda kuita that course musatye tray pa Prince Charles

  • Julius Julius

    Mtsrip
    Did it run out of gas?
    Didn’t burst?

  • Hatitye Dizha

    The plane looks too old to risk lives of youngsters. RIP

  • Ernest Marwa Davarah

    Romancing a trainee pilot on a dilapidated aircraft can be catastophic🤔

  • Tichaona Goromondo

    Regai tione kt muchakadii paMoza apoo varume ma Rebels akakumirirai nezvima training zvenyu zve6 months

  • Ten Gesi

    RIP ndenge dzacho angova maragwanda.

  • Chris Smith

    And after that training you gonna fly for SAA , mmmm not with me on board. Who is going to service the planes BEEE too, from Zim hai bo …..