At a time when Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic crisis post-independence, questions about why President Mnangagwa has to hire a private jet to attend the African Union summit are being posed.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has demonstrated recklessness and lack of care for taxpayers as he continues to spend millions of taxpayers money on expensive chartered flights at a time when the majority of Zimbabweans are wallowing in poverty.
On Friday the Zimbabwean President flew to Ethiopia for the African Union (AU) summit in a 787-8 Dreamliner. The plane is reported to cost millions of dollars to hire.
Disgruntled Zimbabweans have taken to social media platforms to question the wisdom or lack of it therefore, in Mnangagwa hiring such an expensive jet at a time the country is facing its worst economic crisis since independence.
Images of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on a flight public flight in economy class have been juxtaposed with that of Mnangagwa in the luxurious 787-8 Dreamliner.
The images of Ramaphosa were taken in 2018. However, the point and question is why is Mnangagwa flying in such expensive hired plans when Air Zimbabwe the struggling national airline could have taken him to Ethiopia?
Why could he not fly on regular flights which are cheaper given the austere times that the country is struggling through presently?
Last month Mnangagwa used a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner for his trip to Eurasia amid reports that he blew US$25 million for the four-nation journey that took him to Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan ironically looking aid and investment for the ailing Zimbabwean economy.
Couple that with the stories of government ministers preferring to be airlifted to foreign hospitals for medical checkups and treatment. Why are Zimbabwean political leaders averse to local hospitals and anything Zimbabwean?
The country’s hospitals and infrastructure has been mismanaged and the economy devastated by corruption. The citizens have every right to question this misuse of taxpayers money, indeed the government must be made to account for this. How much was the trip to Ethiopia aboard that 787-8 Dreamliner?
