News / National
Mugabe son in-law's Captain claims doubted
12 May 2018 at 15:30hrs | Views
STRONG doubts have emerged over claims by Air Zimbabwe's former chief operating officer Simba Chikore (also known as Simba Mutsahuni) that he is a full aviation captain who flew over 7 000 hours at Qatar Airways and AirZim.
In a recent interview with The Standard, Chikore revealed that he had over 7 000 hours of flying and was one of the youngest captains who were short-listed by Qatar Airways when he joined the airline.
"I was sitting there reading a newspaper and there was Qatar Airways employing pilots and that is the week I was supposed to come to Zimbabwe. Surprisingly, they had called me to say stay longer. I knew I was not ready for this and I took a book that I thought they were going to use during the interviews," Chikore said in an interview.
"I read the book for the whole week. I went to the hotel where Qatar Airways were doing the interviews, it was on a Monday and I asked if I could be allowed to come on Friday. I said I was not ready. They agreed. I was the youngest and the only black captain there and everyone was in their late 40s and they were looking at me saying what are you doing here?
"When I walked in for my interview, I was asked what aircraft do you want to fly, the 737 or the airbus 320 or the Boeing 777 and I said I have only flown the 777 but I would be happy to take any plane you assign me to. That is how I joined Qatar Airways flying the 777. Now I have over 7 000 hours on the 777 alone."
However, information gathered from aviation industry sources at AirZim and Qatar Airways has cast doubt on Chikore's claim that he has ever flown as a captain in Zimbabwe and the peninsular Arab country. "He was never captain anywhere! He could not possibly have accumulated 7 000hrs on the B777. He was there as a first officer. He was tested for command on the 777 and failed. So he never made it past first officer on any aircraft," a source said.
Commenting on Chikore's appointment as COO, the sources said this position did not exist within AirZim and was only created to accommodate former president Robert Mugabe's son-in-law. Chikore is married to Mugabe's daughter Bona.
Efforts to get comment from Chikore were in vain.
In a recent interview with The Standard, Chikore revealed that he had over 7 000 hours of flying and was one of the youngest captains who were short-listed by Qatar Airways when he joined the airline.
"I was sitting there reading a newspaper and there was Qatar Airways employing pilots and that is the week I was supposed to come to Zimbabwe. Surprisingly, they had called me to say stay longer. I knew I was not ready for this and I took a book that I thought they were going to use during the interviews," Chikore said in an interview.
"I read the book for the whole week. I went to the hotel where Qatar Airways were doing the interviews, it was on a Monday and I asked if I could be allowed to come on Friday. I said I was not ready. They agreed. I was the youngest and the only black captain there and everyone was in their late 40s and they were looking at me saying what are you doing here?
However, information gathered from aviation industry sources at AirZim and Qatar Airways has cast doubt on Chikore's claim that he has ever flown as a captain in Zimbabwe and the peninsular Arab country. "He was never captain anywhere! He could not possibly have accumulated 7 000hrs on the B777. He was there as a first officer. He was tested for command on the 777 and failed. So he never made it past first officer on any aircraft," a source said.
Commenting on Chikore's appointment as COO, the sources said this position did not exist within AirZim and was only created to accommodate former president Robert Mugabe's son-in-law. Chikore is married to Mugabe's daughter Bona.
Efforts to get comment from Chikore were in vain.
Source - the independent
