Air Zimbabwe, the national airline of Zimbabwe, is facing renewed allegations over corruption, missing aircraft and financial records, and misleading tax accounts.
The allegations
Last week in parliament, a report was presented by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Air Zimbabwe’s audited accounts. It found that the airline had been managing aircraft not included in its financial reports. The report highlighted a grounded A320-200 (Z-WPM) that had been retired in 2014 in Johannesburg. The aircraft had been grounded there as a result of lack of funding for repairs to be done
Air Zimbabwe was further criticised by the PAC for failing to submit its quarterly returns, and for deferring its tax obligations back in 2019.
Comments from Zimbabwean lawmakers
The report has raised concerns about ownership. Wilson Maposa said,
“the ownership status of some of these aircraft remains unclear. The audit noted that the national carrier did not do any tax computation for both income tax and deferred tax.”
Lawmakers have indicated how this will only add to more of Air Zimbabwe’s issues. Edwin Mushoriwa has pointed out the airline’s weak status, highlighting its staffing shortages and weak governance alongside its missing financial records. The report itself also warned of the airline losing more assets and possibly having to seize its ownership to government regulations if these issues aren’t resolved.
The committee has given the airline the deadline of Aug 31, 2026 to submit their outstanding financial statements.
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