By Staff Reporter
A press release has surfaced, shedding light on grave safety concerns and allegations of corruption within Fastjet Zimbabwe, prompting an urgent safety warning to all passengers considering its flights.
The release, purportedly from concerned parties, paints a distressing picture of the airline’s operations, accusing it of engaging in practices that jeopardize public safety and undermine the integrity of the aviation industry.
According to the release, “The traveling public, stakeholders, and relevant authorities are hereby warned that there are significant safety, financial, and operational irregularities occurring within fastjet Zimbabwe. These activities pose a significant threat to human life.”
Among the alarming allegations, one stands out: the claim that senior officials within the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) are allegedly compromised.
The release states, “Under normal circumstances, the CAAZ and the Ministry of Transport would be responsible for enforcing compliance… Unfortunately, it is a well-known and verifiable fact that nearly all senior CAAZ officials have been captured and are effectively on the fastjet payroll.”
Furthermore, the release alleges a disturbing pattern of safety incidents being covered up and standards compromised. It contends, “Of great concern is the fact that multiple near misses and in-flight safety events have been covered up by all parties involved… CAAZ officials are heavily involved in these activities and merely rubber-stamp documents.”
The release also highlights concerns about sexual harassment and exploitation within the company, with one senior manager allegedly leveraging political connections. It states, “It is widely known that vulnerable young women working for fastjet Zimbabwe frequently experience sexual harassment or are coerced into exchanging sexual favors, particularly by one of their senior accountable management officials.”
This comes days after a fastjet plane flying from Victoria Falls to Harare was forced to land after experiencing depressurization.
The Embraer ERJ 145 performing flight FN8006 was climbing through 16,000 feet after taking off from Victoria Falls International Airport when it “experienced a pressurisation system failure.”
Fortunately the aircraft returned to Victoria Falls, landing safely without further reported incidents.
