CAPE TOWN – South Africa is making every effort to secure the release of millions of rands in new notes from a seized cargo plane in Zimbabwe, authorities said on Tuesday.
The plane, carrying rand notes printed in Munich Germany, was seized in Zimbabwe after a dead body was found on board. The plane was en-route to South Africa on Sunday when it lost signal and made an unscheduled landing at Harare International Airport. During refuelling, blood was discovered in a crevice on the side of the plane belonging to the Western Global Airlines, a US based freight company. The plane was carrying cargo for the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). Zimbabwe seized the plane after a dead body was found in the plane. Zimbabwe’s Civil Aviation Authority said the matter had been handed over to the police to investigate.
The dead body was believed to be a “stowaway” who had boarded boarded the Boeing MD-11 freighter aircraft.
The SARB issued a statement, saying it is aware of an aircraft carrying a SARB consignment that stopped in Harare and was detained following the discovery of an unidentified body that is presumed to be a stowaway on the aircraft.
“The SARB is working with the relevant authorities to ensure that the cargo is released and transported to South Africa,” the bank said.
South African ambassador to Zimbabwe, Vusi Mavimbela said, ‘’Our primary objective right now is that the cargo needs to be released.”
“SARB has produced the documentation that it is authentic and Munich has also produced confirmation that the cargo belongs to the South African Reserve Bank,” Mavimbela told the South African Broadcasting Corporation.– NAMPA / XINHUA