US Based Ddiplomats recalled as Scheduled Air Zimbabwe flight leaves 100 stranded to pick Mugabe and recalled US Diplomats

pic President Mugabe and Air Zimbabwe plane

The only direct flight into Harare by the economically marooned country’s national airline Air Zimbabwe left almost 100 passengers booked on its flight to Harare on Sunday 28 September 2008 stranded at London’s Gatwick Airport.


The direct flight’s schedule was altered at short notice to stopover in Egypt Cairo where it is expected to connect with a USA flight with President Mugabe’s shopping retinue of 54 that accompanied him to the 63rd United Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting in New York.

The weeklong escapade estimated to have left at the very least a US$ 2 000 000.00 hole in the fiscus of the impoverished State in airfares, accommodation, food and daily out of pocket subsistence allowances for Mugabe to deliver a 15 minute speech has been widely condemned by the country’s impoverished citizens of all walks.

The people are incensed that the insensitive despotic leader who lost the election in March and used brutal force to impose himself at State House, found it appropriate to abandon dicey power sharing talks that many hope will, if successfully completed, stop the haemorrhaging economy’s further decline and bring them overdue respite from unsustainable living conditions obtaining in the country.

In a country where the average income per month is no more than US$50.00 per month it is stupendously extravagant for a self imposed Head of State to squander US$2 000 000.00 of taxpayer funds with 54 of his cronies.

The returning retinue is reported to have allegedly swelled to 94 including 40 US based Zimbabwean diplomatic staff that have joined the President on his return trip.

Observers have quickly read into the move by President to empty the US Embassy of staff as an indication that the diplomats may have been recalled for debriefing on the new order under which those that will be allowed to retain posting will work.

“The move is the most significant indicator that the recently signed power sharing deal is very much alive despite scepticism over the hyped deadlock in key Ministerial allotment between the Parties,” commented one observer who witnessed the swelling Zimbabwe delegation throng the New York Airport.

It is widely believed that Zanu PF pliant diplomats will serve no meaningful purpose in Western Missions as they have tainted images and will not inspire confidence in those States that fundamental and irreversible power shift has taken place in the country in line with the agreement signed by the parties.

Such confidence is absolutely imperative to motivate desperately needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to jumpstart the devastated economy.

The decision to divert the scheduled flight and leave behind 75% of the confirmed passengers at Gatwick will however immediately balloon the costs of President Mugabe’s trip to the UN by a further £100 000.00 in hotel bookings for the marooned passengers until Thursday when they will have to be accommodated in the next flight to Zimbabwe meaning further rescheduling of other booked passengers.

This kind of profligacy must be stopped by the transitional government if it is to make headway in turning around the economy.

President Mugabe must be brought to realise that being President does not entitle him to unchecked access to the fiscus and his international forays will be subjected to cost benefit analysis like hitherto has never happened during his tenure of office and he will be required to justify his expenses in terms of their returns to the country.

As it turns out all he has done is spend scarce forex to make a call for the lifting of sanctions none of the imposers have heeded.

Such calls could be more effectively made from Zimbabwe after he has moved the power sharing deal implementation to a point where the countries that imposed sanctions will be satisfied he will no longer be solely responsible for managing the State’s affairs with the impunity associated with his previous regimes.

But as the saying goes when one door is shut another opens and Zimbabweans will take solace in the recall of the diplomats from the US and hope the process will spread rabidly to other missions and new postings that reflect the spirit of the transitional power sharing deal in the country.