ZIMBABWE:

 Cronyism will destroy air Zimbabwe:

  By African Transport correspondent.

There are many ways a nation can be called a resilient nation. To qualify and reach the standards of resilience a nation must have the following, its people, patriotism, nationalism, and pride. It is the composition of all these plus other external factors that make Zimbabwe great. In this article we shall single out the pride of Zimbabwe as a factor. What makes Zimbabwe tick in Europe and especially in Britain?

Any nation in this world aims to be proud of its products that have come as a result of the hard work by its people steered by good leadership. It is this good leadership of President Mugabe and others in ZANU-PF that institutions like Air Zimbabwe are able to fly to London despite the British targeted sanctions. There are countries in Africa which are much praised by the British but have nothing to be proud of in Europe and especially in Britain.

Take for example Uganda which is very much touted as the beacon of hope and economic miracle of Africa and with many resources at disposal but has no national Airline that can even airlift fish from Lake Victoria to Nairobi. During Idi Amin days and despite illiterate standards and the dangers that he posed to Ugandans and the world at large he had Uganda Airlines that was a symbol of hope for the revival of the Ugandan economy that he had helped to kill from 1971. But when literate men took over power in Uganda in 1986 they sold the Airline and pocketed the money.

 Let us come back to our subject of this Exclusive research on Zimbabwe’s passage through the British instigated economic hardships. Sanctions have hurt this country and crippled most economic activities but the airline has remained a symbol of hope The question that we had asked was what makes a country like Zimbabwe tick? The answer is Air Zimbabwe on London route. It is London where the national carrier still flies Zimbabwe’s flag high. Thanks to the skills and determination of those in the London office of air Zimbabwe.

We have decided to write about Air Zimbabwe because of the way the management team in the London office impressed our undercover researchers of this website who posed as passengers and market researchers.  We also conducted surveys from many of their clients who use the Airline to travel to and from Zimbabwe and other parts in the Southern African region. Most people asked were impressed by the Bakele team in London. You can hate Bakele and his team but the truth is that these guys undergo a lot of pressure in the London office that they need encouragement for the good work.

The Management under the leadership of an African patriot originally from Ethiopia Mr. T Bakele but now a Zimbabwean national runs this London office of the Airline with the sense of patriotism. He has endured all winds of international anti- Zimbabwe forces. He has managed to instil the art of international operation that any airline requires. This is due to his abundant experience in the airline business which spans over 30 years.  

Under him are senior staff members like Mr. Ezekiel Mungoni who maintains control and operations at Gatwick airport where you find long queues of Zimbabweans of all races waiting patiently for their turn to be checked in. He undergoes an immense pressure when flights are landing and taking off. He controls the crowds and takes all the complaints at the airport according to the European consumer protection law. Our observers found this job very tactical in the sense that one deals with some irate passengers who might have missed seats and their onward connections on the flights.

 In the London office where main operations like ticketing and administration our researchers found the main man who keeps the monies that are got from the operations.

 Mr. Shakie Kangausaru.  He was busy thinking of how to co-ordinate the next move of the airline in London and building networks with other European countries which have interest in Zimbabwe. He works so had to deal with service providers who claim money upfront. This is a tough task that needs a person who has skills of international persuasion and business acumen.  

The team has avoided being dragged into petty issues by anti –Zimbabwe elements who masquerade in Europe as prophets of doom. There is very visible professionalism that a commercial air line requires at this time and age when the so-called mega European airlines are under receivership. what we have with the team in London.  The Bakele team has been working day and night to keep the flag of Zimbabwe high because of their commitment to Zimbabwe’s charter of pride. Like it or not this is a team that strives to defend the country in the abyss of imperialism.

But our researchers around Southern Africa who visited the country have unearthed evidence that points to irregularities emanating from the Executive management in Harare. It is believed that some top officials in the management have colluded with some political gurus to recruit their relatives to replace those in London and other parts of the countries where the airline flies.

It is understood that there are those whose spouses arrived in London and acquired residence permits in UK want to join their relatives in London through this current dubious route of recruitment in air Zimbabwe. As result the management wants to remove the experienced employees in London and replace them with unprofessional turncoats without relevant experience that can revamp the airline activities in Europe.  This will break the networking and continuity that has been exhibited by the current staff in the London office. These are very serious allegations that must be examined by the Ministry whose docket handles air Zimbabwe.        

Our team of researchers found that one thing keeping Zimbabwe high in London is the measured support of its team in London office of Air Zimbabwe. The British system and other countries have tried so hard to kill the economy of this country. They have tried to increase levy on landing fees at the airports but Air Zimbabwe continues to fly higher and higher. Because of the skills of the management team in London office  the airline has managed to face the competition head on and doing better in their own right.

 It is true that there very serious obstacles that hinder the  performance of many African airlines that compete with  many European commercial giants but the very nature of marketing and patriotism shown in London office gives confidence to those who want to see Zimbabwe rise and shine again.

The art of management coupled with experience and tough decision making has enabled the management of Air Zimbabwe in London to rise against petty jealousies that have broken most hearts of some commercial entities in Zimbabwe. The spirit of endurance makes the management to be resilient against imperialism and enables it to acquire many more friends and clients in London despite the cancellations and other technical problems that are heaped on the land office.

We made several telephone calls in all stations where air Zimbabwe has offices and found that the pattern is the same through out the offices. Most of the mangers in most offices we talked to expressed the same fears of interference from the t Executive Management in Harare. One manger in an Asian country who spoke to us by phone expressed his anger about the total confusion that the management in Harare has caused to the airline.

Our researchers have discovered that there are obstacles that have come in the way of these hardworking people in London and else where. There have become victims of malice and blackmail and have fallen victims of the cancer of factionalism that is currently eating the country’s body politics. There are those in Zimbabwe who think that better results can be delivered by their own kin and kith.

Our observers have also got evidence that last week has seen many managers shifted in Harare office on biased procedures that have links with the factionalism that has eaten the morale in this airline. There is the growing danger of nepotism that has engulfed air Zimbabwe where some unscrupulous officials back at home want to employ relatives instead of employing ideas that can turn around the airline. Such prudish methods must be condemned and must not be allowed to grow in this national flag bearer that fights amongst imperial airlines in Europe.

This cancer of nepotism and cronyism that has killed many countries like Uganda where the air line was sold to make way for the growth of the same culture must be condemned in strongest terms possible by all patriotic Zimbabweans. This is a global market that must compete and show results of such a competition like the demand of seats on air Zimbabwe over this Xmas period in London route. We found evidence that the London route had become popular that demand had exceeded supply. This is good news for us who support Zimbabwe but bad to the British government who had wished Zimbabwe death.

This is good news for Zimbabwe. The team in London must be encouraged instead of hopeless and drastic steps that demoralise the workers and create chaos for the already over stretched airline. According to sources close IATA (International Air Transport Associations) who have made their own survey on African airline have told us that despite the interruptions caused by the un co-ordinated system at   headquarters spare parts the airline has done well.

 Every product in marketing is seen by the demand and supply but above all by the surplus that it brings. There was surplus of passengers who were seen wanting to travel into Zimbabwe at the London office over Xmas but there was no extra plane to take them to Harare and other destinations. This was compounded by the bad weather that ha befallen the Queen’s land.

This is a good sign in the eyes of some of us who have said Zimbabwe is still an African paradise despite the demonisation that the European Union has heaped on the nation. Looking at the statistics that are available on bookings and inquiries Zimbabwe remains the most favoured destination on the continent. Despite the negative BBC propaganda there is a struggle for seats on air Zimbabwe by mainly the white population from Europe to go and see Zimbabwe’s main tourist resorts like Victoria Falls

As observers and supporters of Zimbabwe we urge the government of Zimbabwe to clean up the mess in the airline Executive management at its Headquarters that causes unnecessary confusion in Europe where Zimbabwe has a big task of image building. The future of the airline is bright but some officials who have been infiltrated by the monster of imperialism want to kill one of the birds that still carries African image in the skies of Europe.

Keep the flag high.