GOVERNMENT yesterday played down Wednesday’s embarrassing mechanical glitch which delayed visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flight take-off at Harare International Airport, saying such incidents were common worldwide.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Xi’s flight had a 15-minute take-off delay after a towable passenger staircase got stuck to his chartered Air China Boeing 747-400 plane as he was about to fly to South Africa for the sixth Forum on China-Africa Co-operation summit.
The staircase is owned and operated by the National Handling Services (NHS).
“It’s just one of the springs that got stuck and it happens. There is nothing unique in that,” Transport minister Joram Gumbo said.
“It’s like a person coughing and that cannot be a big issue at all. That can happen everywhere like in the United Kingdom and America and other many countries. There is no issue to worry about though it shouldn’t happen. It’s a machine and anything can happen, therefore it had to be pushed.”
NHS general manager Godknows Maravanyika said the glitch would not, in any way, affect his company’s reputation.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“Yes, the equipment failed, but it’s normal. Once it fails, we have to follow procedure and use manual evacuation. These are technical issues that happen at any airport,” Maravanyika said.
“The equipment is not obsolete. It is still in good condition and it is the same equipment that we use for the VIP flights. It’s mechanical and I don’t think that will affect our reputation.”
However, opposition parties said such embarrassments tainted the country’s image.
“Obviously, that was an exceedingly embarrassing diplomatic gaffe. President Xi Jinping is the world’s second most powerful politician after President Barack Obama of the United States. It was a complete disgrace for him to be subjected to such a degrading and humiliating experience,” MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said.
Jacob Mafume of the People’s Democratic Party accused Mugabe of keeping incompetent officials in government positions.
“It’s not a surprise. We are a country with no shame and we have seen our President being pushed up podiums because he is old. The machines are probably as old as the President has been in power, hence are no longer in use anywhere in the world,” he said.
