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Minister Joram Gumbo

From Munyaradzi Huni in KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
President Mugabe yesterday held bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in a bid to strengthen relations between the two countries. The meeting which took almost 45 minutes was held in Putrajaya. The two leaders came out of the meeting sharing jokes, a clear sign of their close relationship.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo who is accompanying the President, took advantage of the visit to exchange notes with Malaysian Deputy Minister of Transport Timbalan Menteri.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Minister Gumbo said Malaysia was his next stop after his recent visit to Ethiopia to explore business opportunities.

“My visit here follows my visit to Ethiopia where I visited the Ethiopian Airlines, trying to entice them to come to Zimbabwe. This is my second leg and I have taken advantage of this visit by the President.

“I took the opportunity to meet my counterpart from Malaysia to find out if their airline could also fly to Zimbabwe. As you know, Malaysia is centrally placed in this part of the world.

“They are the hub of the region and we want to take advantage of that. “We also want to make sure that our Victoria Falls Airport is utilised to maximum capacity, so I am talking to a number of airlines,” said Minister Gumbo.

He added that his ministry had also taken the opportunity to learn how Malaysian Airlines had managed to keep afloat following disasters in recent years. “This was actually a learning process and as Zimbabwe, we should take a leaf from Malaysia. I will continue to take advantage of such visits by His Excellency to scout for business for the country,” said the Minister.

Dr Gumbo said he would continue engaging with other airlines for purposes of enhancing Zimbabwe’s aviation industry.