A group of demonstrators today
marched to the offices of South African High Commission to Tanzania in Dar es Salaam city
chanting slogans demanding the release of an Air Tanzania Corporation Ltd.,
plane that was impounded at Oliver Tambo international airport on Friday August
23.
The demonstrators carried placards demanding South African
government intervene and release the impounded plane immediately, other were
written ‘We risked, we sacrificed, for your independence – today you feel proud
to hold our airbus.’
Details on who exactly called for the demonstrations
are still very scanty but police who arrested three people in connection with the demonstration were at hand to maintain law and order.
The Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander,
Lazaro Mambosasa, told reporters that the demonstration had no blessings of the
police force and the organizer did not gave prior report.
Field Force Unit of Tanzania police warning the demonstrators |
The aircraft with registration
number 5H-TCH was operating on the regularly scheduled TC208 flight to
Johannesburg, but did not operate the return leg flight number TC209 to Dar es
Salaam. It was impounded through a Gauteng high court order in
Johannesburg.
Lawyer
Roger Wakefield who represents a retired farmer,
Hermanus Phillipus Steyn, has said the aircraft was impounded because
Tanzania's government had not paid his client $33m (£28.8m) it owes in
compensation.
He said the money was awarded after Tanzania's
government seized lands belonging to the South African farmer.
The lawyer said the only way Tanzania could secure the release of the plane was if it put up security or paid the debt.
Adding that “The plane was impounded in line with South African and international laws allowing for an asset owned by a foreign entity to be attached to a case related to a foreign arbitration award”.
The plane was chosen because there is evidence it is owned directly by the Tanzanian government and its value is commensurate with the amount owed to the farmer, who was born in Namibia, he said. - Africa
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