THE Joint Operations Command (Joc), which brings together
the army, police and intelligence service chiefs, convened an urgent meeting
after the country’s aviation traffic control system broke down on Monday,
disrupting flights, after Zimbabwean airspace was temporarily closed.
The latest breakdown of the radar and aviation traffic
control system, while confirming that the country has become a dangerous flying
zone, was also seen as a great security risk, considering that undesirable
elements could have flown in and out of the country undetected.
Given Zimbabwe’s strategic position in the Southern African
Development Community, the breakdown of the control system was also seen as a
threat to the region’s security, in view of the number of flights in and out of
the region which pass through Zimbabwe’s airspace.
Aviation and security sources this week told the Zimbabwe
Independent that a Joc meeting was urgently convened on Monday to deliberate on
the matter which rattled security chiefs, prompting them to task Air Force of
Zimbabwe commander Elson Moyo to send technicians to the airport to repair the
radar and air traffic control system.
Joc is the supreme organ for the coordination of state
security in Zimbabwe.“After the aviation radar system broke down at the Robert
Mugabe International Airport on Monday, the Air Force commander was asked to
send staff from the Air Force to fix the problem. The situation was made worse
because air traffic control staff were practically on strike and were not
helping the situation,” a security official said.
“A meeting was called where a decision was made to procure
a new radar and traffic control system by mid-December. While this breakdown
was only for a few hours, on some occasions the system has
been down for almost 24 hours, meaning air traffic can pass
through or land undetected.“This also means mercenaries can fly in and out
without being detected. It’s a serious security matter, not just an aviation
matter, hence the intervention of Joc. There was also concern that smuggling
syndicates were also taking advantage of the constant breakdown of the radar
system to fly some minerals, particularly diamonds and gold, out of the
country.”
The Air Traffic Controllers Association of Zimbabwe has
been urging the government to upgrade the communication system in the country
for the past two years, but to no avail. They wrote a letter to Transport
minister Joel Biggie Matiza last month expressing concern over the shambolic
“Air Traffic Control VHF Communications Systems”.
“Our air safety letter issued in September 2017 and May
2019 refers. We note with concern the continued deterioration in air navigation
communication performance. There have been several cases in which there was
total loss of Air Traffic Services (ATS) Air Ground communications in the upper
airspace. Worst case scenarios include the 25th of September, 2019, 29th
September 2019 and 16 October 2019, where there was communication blackout
lasting a whole day,” the letter reads.
“This chaotic and dangerous situation persisted on October
18 and continues to be experienced now and then. The Air Traffic Controllers
Association of Zimbabwe (ATCAZ) has on several occasions called for the urgent
replacement of the obsolete communication system. Air Ground Communications is
a fundamental and mandatory requirement for a functional ATS unit without which
Air Traffic Controllers are incapacitated to actively prevent collisions.”
On numerous occasions, Zimbabwe has relied on neighbouring
South Africa for radar assistance information relating to gauging the altitude
of planes flying over Zimbabwean airspace.
The letter, seen by the Independent, was copied to Civil
Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (Caaz) acting director-general Margret Mantiziba
and director of air navigation and technical services Blessing Ngwarai.
The correspondence also casts light on the dangers that
could arise from running an obsolete aviation radar system, including the risks
of aircraft collision, failure to promptly identify distressed aircraft, delays
and increased operating costs of airlines.
Other risks associated with running a shambolic aviation
radar system include “losses of revenue as aircraft avoid the space and
portrayal of the country in bad light”.
Importantly, Zimbabwe risked being blacklisted by
International Civil Aviation Organisation “due to failure to meet a basic
mandatory requirement” the documents warn.
Running and maintaining the aviation radar technology has
been a theatre of fierce contestation between Caaz and the country’s security
apparatus.As reported by the Independent on December 21, 2018, the country has
struggled to find a new radar system after Matiza and Caaz general manager
David Chawota allegedly facilitated the awarding of a US$33,3 million tender to
Indrastemas & Homt Espana of South Africa for air traffic control equipment
without following public procurement procedure.
Although Indrastemas & Homt were initially awarded the
tender in 2016, the deal was set aside after a competing Italian firm, Selex
ES, won a Supreme Court case challenging the decision on the grounds that the
tender did not go through procedures specified by law.
In addition, Indrastemas & Homt did not pass a critical
security vetting process by the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and the
Air Force of Zimbabwe, as well as other security agencies.
Official documents seen by the Independent last year in
December show that Chawota played a pivotal role in ensuring Indra was
irregularly awarded the deal, while Caaz officials told this newspaper that the
minister authorised it after intense lobbying.
In a letter dated May 2, 2018 and seen by the Independent,
Chawota wrote to the Procurement Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz) advising the body
to cancel yet another deal with South African company AME Aviation, which Caaz
had engaged to supply an air traffic communication system and instead award it
to Indra.
However, he emphasised that the urgent need to replace the
dilapidated aviation control system.In the letter, Chawota argued that a formal
tender would cause further delays in implementing the project, adding that this
would result in it being completed by the end of this year.
“The authority (Caaz) needs to proceed without further
delay and procure a replacement air traffic management system to ensure safety
of air traffic control within Zimbabwe. The Indra implementation schedule will
result in project completion by the end of 2018,” Chawota wrote.
“There is dire need to address the communications
deficiency in the Zimbabwe airspace in order to comply with international
standards and stem out the concerns already raised by major airlines such as
South African Airways. Praz is requested to approve the authority to cancel the
contract with AME and engage Indra Sistemas for the supply of the required
equipment.”
The military has now taken over the procurement of the
radar and aviation communication system. Zimbabwe Independent
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