South African authorities are investigating how a private
plane from Zimbabwe landed at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on
Wednesday afternoon without clearance from the Department of Transport under
special measures in place during the country’s 21-day lockdown which began on
March 26.
The chartered flight reportedly landed at South Africa’s
biggest airport at around 12.30pm with one Italian passenger, who is a holder
of a South African passport on board.
In a statement, the South African Transport Ministry said
the passenger and crew were held at the airport while officials sought guidance
on how to handle the flight before the plane was forced to fly back to Harare
several hours later.
“A decision was made that the passenger, who is an Italian
national holding a South African passport , would not be allowed to enter the
country. The passenger initially refused to leave, but with the intervention of
the South African Police Service (SAPS), the flight left the South African
airspace at 7.50pm, returning to Harare, Zimbabwe,” said the ministry.
The Transport Department, the ministry said, was working
with aviation entities to review the applicable protocols to ensure only
flights with the necessary approval were allowed to enter South African
airspace.
“(South African) Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has
called for a full investigation into the incident.”
The plane reportedly landed back in Harare at 10pm. Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel
Biggie Matiza said he had not been apprised of the incident while the Civil
Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) could not be reached to explain
circumstances around the flight. Herald
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