Former Tourism Minister Disputes President Mnangagwa's Airlines Statistics
Self-exiled former Tourism minister, Walter Mzembi, has disputed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s claims that only three airlines were flying into the country in 2017 against 17 currently jetting in courtesy of the new dispensation.
Responding to a Twitter post by Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana, Mzembi warned departments against abusing President Mnangagwa by giving him fake statistics.
Mnangagwa told the 7th ZANU PF National People’s Congress that things had improved under his leadership, NewZimbabwe.com reported. He said:
The number of airlines flying into our beautiful country has grown from three in 2017, to the present 17 airlines,” said the 80-year-old leader to wild applause from delegates at the party’s 7th congress.
We have moved from a state of isolation to an active member within the community of nations and a favourable tourist destination.”
In response, Mzembi said Mnangagwa who was endorsed as the party’s candidate at next year’s polls, was not being factual. He said:
For the record there were 14 international airlines servicing Zimbabwe in 2017.
For the avoidance of doubt get the record from CAAZ (Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe). We can also list them here. Departments should not abuse the President like this with false statistics.
Mzembi shared a 2012 screenshot of an article by the Mail & Guardian detailing the arrival of Kenya’s KLM and Fly Emirates, to support his claim.
He argued Mnangagwa was at the event.
During the last days in office of the late former President Robert Mugabe, there were claims that some government officials were feeding the veteran leader with wrong information to expose his incapacitation to lead the nation.
