The SAAF Forum

MORE than 100 mourners, who included Central Vehicle Registry staff members, were yesterday rescued after being marooned by floods for four days in Tanda village in Headlands. They were

air-lifted by an Augusta Bell 412 helicopter from the village where they had attended the funeral of their colleague and relative, Ms Wendy Saumba, on Saturday, to Mayo Business Centre.

The director responsible for transport in the Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development Ministry, Mr Allowance Sango, and CVR registrar Mr George Makoni witnessed the rescue operations.

Mr Sango commended the Tanda community for assisting the mourners and the staff members.
“We want to appreciate the assistance that our staff members and mourners got from the community. We have managed to rescue our staff whom we found fatigued but joyful,” said Sango.
Mr Sango said the rescue operation was a joint effort by several Government ministries and departments led by the Civil Protection Unit.

The stranded mourners were airlifted in groups of 15 by an Air Force of Zimbabwe helicopter.
The CVR staff members, who were travelling on a CMED bus, found out that a bridge they were supposed to cross had collapsed due to heavy rains. The alternative route had flooded rivers. The other mourners were travelling in a Nyaradzo Funeral Services bus.

Narrating their ordeal, CVR staff member Mr Elisha Chabuka said they were surviving on wild fruits and also got assistance from community members.

He said among the stranded mourners were pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers who had left their children at home and chronic patients who had left their medication as they anticipated to return home on the same day.

“We pooled our resources and bought two goats, a bag of mealie meal and three chickens. We had no change of clothes and sanitary ware, especially for the women.

“It was a difficult experience but finally we were rescued and we would like to thank the Government for their swift response,” said Chabuka.

Mr Sango said they had brought the stranded mourners food and other amenities.
Civil Protection Unit director Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira said they could not rescue the group earlier because the Airforce team was attending the other victims in Middle Sabi.

“The Air Force team was in Middle Sabi attending to other victims who were in a serious condition which needed immediate attention compared to the Tanda group which was in a safe community and were constantly receiving assistance from the community members,” said Mr Pawadyira.

He also maintained that the CPU is ready to respond to any flood-related emergencies that may occur.

Meanwhile,the Air Force of Zimbabwe on Monday successfully carried out a search and rescue operation for eight villagers marooned on small islands along Chidzere and Save rivers.
Heavy rains had resulted in flooding at the confluence of the two rivers.

Police in Murambinda had alerted the Civil Protection Unit of the incidents.
AFZ operations director Group Captain Alphious Gwata said they immediately deployed a helicopter to the area.
The eight villagers were found at two different locations.

“Five children and three adults were rescued from two different locations at the confluence of Chidzere and Save rivers at the end of the mission,” he said.
Police in Murambinda applauded the successful mission.

They, however, said a villager who had climbed up a tree after the water levels continued to rise had not yet been found.

Group Capt Gwata said they received the distress call to assist CVR staff in Chiendambuya but gave the Save River operation top priority as it was life-threatening.

He said the AFZ was committed to playing its part in rescue operations although they had limited resources.
“As such, operations were prioritised in terms of the level of threat to human lives,” he said.

The Beitbridge Civil Protection Unit yesterday rescued 34 villagers marooned for the past three days on a delta along the Limpopo River in Tshikwalakwala. The rescue mission which lasted 30 minutes

was conducted with the assistance of a helicopter from the Air Force of Zimbabwe.
The victims were airlifted from Mapho area to safety atTshikwalakwala Clinic.

The villagers, most of them from seven families, were left stranded when their six huts were destroyed by torrential rains which have been pounding the district for the past eight days. The Air Force of Zimbabwe has been kept busy since Monday when it rescued five people who were stranded across the Bubi River after a bridge was swept away by floods in Tshikwalakwala.

AFZ dispatched a helicopter that rescued the stranded villagers after the Civil Protection Unit had raised alarm.

The district received 139mm of rain between Saturday and Sunday night.
The latest figures bring to 110 people stranded following the heavy rains in Beitbridge East this week.
A bridge at Tshikwalakwala linking Beitbridge and Chiredzi district through the Bubi River was also swept away on Monday morning.

Beitbridge Civil Protection Unit chairman Mr Simon Muleya said nine people had died due to flooding in the area.

The CPU had distributed 130 tents, mosquito nets, kitchen utensils and several blankets for the victims from the International Organisation for Migration and Red Cross Zimbabwe.

The district also received a truck from their national office to transport supplies to all the affected areas.

Mr Muleya said the victims also received food hampers, 480 bars of soap, 990 fleece blankets and 1 000 buckets among other non-food stuffs.

He said authorities were mobilising resources to build two-roomed houses for the victims.
Beitbridge Senator Cde Tambudzani Mohadi also donated food hampers and clothing items to the floods victims at Tshikwalakwala and Chituripasi.

The heavy rains have also left a trail of destruction in the district where most roads were left impassable.

AFZ director of operations Group Captain Alphious Gwata said that they would remain on alert.
“In the face of warnings from the Meteorological Services Department that rains will continue, AFZ will remain ready to dispatch personnel and equipment to save lives of those threatened by floods,” he said.

During the past week, AFZ has also conducted three rescue operations along the Save River in Manicaland and Gokwe’s Chirara area, rescuing more than 80 people from the danger of floods.

According to a Meteorological Services Department report, clear weather was expected to prevail starting yesterday until the weekend when more rains are expected.

"During this period, most of the rains should be confined mainly to the Mashonaland Provinces, Harare, and the North of Manicaland,” the report stated.

The Met Dept recorded rainfall activity that occurred over most parts of the country with the highest falls being recorded at Wedza, which had 32mm, Buhera 27mm, Kadoma 21mm and Zvishavane 19mm.

The Met Dept, however, advised that the rains would increase from Sunday onwards and urged people residing in low-lying areas to seek shelter on higher ground should they notice that their areas were under threat of flooding.

The weather experts also warned people against taking shelter under trees during a thunderstorm to avoid being struck by lightning.

Expectations are that there should be a gradual increase in rainfall activity to cover much of the country from 27 January onwards.

Ninety-six people have drowned while 33 were struck by lightning across the country since the beginning of the rainy season.

The heavy rains have also destroyed 180 houses in Tsholotsho leaving the families homeless.
In Beitbridge, Zimbabwe and South Africa were on Monday forced to stop both vehicular and human traffic after the bridge at the border post was flooded on Sunday night.

The CPU has also reported major flooding of rivers in Gokwe such as Ume, Sesame and Sengwa with several people being marooned on some of them.

According to the police, most people drowned after attempting to cross flooded rivers, while others had vehicles they were travelling in swept away in flooded rivers and bridges.

The Met Dept has warned that both private and public vehicles should not attempt to cross-flooded or low-lying bridges.

It has also warned people against attempting to cross-flooded streams or rivers, and to quickly move to higher ground if they notice their area becoming flooded.

Motorists were advised to refrain from parking their vehicles under big old trees which were likely to give way to heavy winds and to desist from attempting to cross flooded, low lying bridges.

Police have received reports of 14 people who have drowned after their vehicles were swept away at flooded rivers and bridges in separate incidents this month.

Tobacco farmers were urged to seek insurance for their crop against hail damage to avoid loss from the expected rains.

The highest rainfall totals recorded from 1 October to 21 January are: Mukandi – 973 mm
Hwange – 893 mm, Gokwe – 764 mm, Nyanga – 756 mm, Chisengu – 734 mm, Rusape – 694 mm, Murehwa – 657 mm, Henderson – 650mm, Mutoko – 627 mm and Harare Belvedere – 624 mm.

The information we have at the moment is top secret. Will post as soon as it is declassified.

Sanctions hit Zimbabwean air force

By Oscar Nkala

Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) commander Air Marshall Perence Shiri says the economic sanctions imposed on the country's strategic sectors in 2002 have severely degraded the country's air defence capabilities as the force has not been able to acquire new aircraft, spare parts and other equipment.

The sanctions, which were imposed at the height of political violence in the country in March 2002 targeted strategic state institutions and parastatals which were accused by the United States and the European Union of either propping up or supporting the government of President Robert Mugabe in committing alleged human rights abuses against opposition party supporters.

Addressing military leadership graduates at the Zimbabwe Defence College last week, Shiri praised the AFZ for its steadfastness in defence of the country. He said the force is still excelling despite working under difficult conditions characterised by the lack of essential equipment which the country cannot access directly because of the Western arms embargo.

“The Western imposed sanctions have not spared the AFZ from the harsh economic environment, especially the acquisition of new equipment and back-up spares. The economic sanctions affected the acquisition of new aircraft, spare parts and support equipment. The financial demands for the above have become exorbitant as most purchases have to be done using sanctions busting measures the country has established so far.”

Shiri said the AFZ critically needs spare parts to refurbish several grounded aircraft and replacement parts for equipment such as radar and aerial defence systems. His call for a lifting of the embargo comes a few months after ZDF Commander-In-Chief President Mugabe bemoaned the effects of sanctions on the pilot training and operational needs of the AFZ.

Mugabe officiated at the recent graduation ceremony of 11 pilots whom he commended for successfully completing the training programme without basic equipment they could not access because of the Western arms embargo.

“As a result of the sanctions, the Air Force of Zimbabwe has experienced a severe shortage of aircraft spares and other resources. Government is well aware of the need to upgrade the Air Force of Zimbabwe’s training and operational equipment. Efforts are under way to pursue initiatives that will ensure the realisation of adequate financial resources to enable the upgrading as well as acquisition of new aircraft and equipment," Mugabe said.

The AFZ's last major aircraft upgrade programme involved the acquisition of 12 K-8 jet trainer aircraft from China in 2006. The aircraft were acquired to replace a fleet of British-made BAE Hawks, most of which have since been grounded due to lack of spare parts.

The AFZ aircraft inventory also includes MiG-23 multi-role jets, Chengdu F-7 fighter jets, Shenyang F-5 fighter/trainers, Ilyushin and Antonov transports. It also operates some Cessna and CASA 212 light utility transports and a wide range of helicopters which include Augusta Bell 412s, Alouette III and Russian-made Mi-24V, Mi-35 and Mi-8Hip C assault helicopters.

However most of fleet was lost during combat operations during the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The remainder has been grounded for years due to lack of spare parts.

THE Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) has released the names of the two officers who died on Thursday when their trainer aircraft crashed in Mt Hampden, close to Charles Prince Airport.

STAFF REPORTER

They are Squadron Leader Taurayi Jombo (36) and Air Lieutenant Evidence Edzai Begede (28).

According to AFZ officials, Jombo is survived by a wife and two children, while Begede is survived by a wife and one child.

Jombo is being mourned at Block 3 No 1 AF 90 at Manyame Airbase. For Begede, mourners are gathered at Thornhill Airforce Base Flats, Block A in Gweru.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Philip_Valerio_Sibanda%2C_Michael_Enslin_-_Copy.JPG

Gen Philip Valerio Sibanda and Michael Enslin

Does Enslin still fly for the RAAF?