Govt appoints new Air Zim acting CEO

Freeman Razemba

Senior Reporter

The new acting chief executive officer of Air Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd for the next 6 months is Mr Edmund Murambiwa Makona, replacing Mr Tafadzwa Zaza who has been the acting CEO for the past 16 months.

In a statement the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development said the Air Zimbabwe board had appointed Mr Makona with effect from Wednesday last week in terms of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act with a substantive CEO now planned when he finishes his term. Air Zimbabwe is a registered company but with the State as the sole shareholder.

“The board is grateful to Mr Zaza for his service to the airline during his tenure as the Acting CEO,” reads the statement.

Mr Makona is an aviation expert who has worked in the aviation industry for more than three decades and was a member of the Air Zimbabwe board when appointed.

“He is a top-level aviation executive with more than three decades of experience. Further, he is an international aviation consultant with an aeronautical engineering background, type rated licensed engineer, aviation quality, safety and security expert and a trainer for aircraft engineers and pilots ground school. The board wishes to tap into his vast experience as a former CEO of Air Zimbabwe, who successfully relaunched the Airline in 2013.

“With an aviation career spanning over 38 years, he also served as president of the African Airlines and as an independent consultant for IATA on various African airline missions. We look forward to unlocking value from his expertise as he complements the board in devising and executing strategies and leading team efforts that will produce significant business turnaround at Air Zimbabwe during his six-months stint,” the ministry said.

The ministry and board wished Mr Makona and management, “great success as they spearhead Air Zimbabwe’s recovery process, through implementation of the Air Zimbabwe six-year strategic turnaround plan, with the view to develop a dependable airline, with a robust hub and spoke network”.

Harare is the designated main hub and Victoria Falls the tourist hub.