BY AGENCIES
HARARE – Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has retired Air Marshal Elson Moyo, the Commander of the Airforce of Zimbabwe (AFZ), according to a statement from the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Martin Rushwaya.
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| Rtd. Air Marshal Elson Moyo |
The retirement, effective from March 15, 2024, is seen as a dismissal by many and follows a bomb scare at Victoria Falls International Airport.
The bomb scare led to the cancellation of Mnangagwa's engagement at a renewable energy conference in Victoria Falls.
The President's Falcon 7X aircraft was forced to return to Harare after an unknown individual sent an email through Fastjet Airlines warning of a "credible bomb/firearm threat" targeting Zimbabwean airports.
In response to the threat, presidential spokesperson George Charamba stated, "As a precaution, the country’s security systems are now on heightened alert following this message whose source and credibility is also being investigated.
"While our country is peaceful, and all our ports are well secured, such alerts on possible terrorist attacks are taken and treated very seriously, as nothing should be left to chance."
Following Moyo's retirement, Air Vice Marshal John Jacob Nzvede has been appointed as the new Commander of the AFZ, effective from March 15, 2024.
The bomb scare resulted in some flights being diverted to Livingstone, Zambia, while Mnangagwa's plane returned to Harare due to the imminent threat.
This is not the first time President Mnangagwa has faced a bomb threat.
He survived a bomb blast at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on June 23, 2018, which Zanu PF viewed as an assassination attempt.
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