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Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor
NATIONAL flag carrier Air Zimbabwe (Airzim) has sent 43 employees — including top managers — on unpaid leave as part of efforts to have a leaner structure in line with the reconstruction process.

Senior officials, including some from the human resources, marketing, flight operations and engineering departments, have been culled in the bloodbath.

The revelations come amid claims by some sources that some of employees sent on unpaid leave had transgressed, especially an official who is understood to have been sacrificed for hiring his truck to carry the Air Start Unit to Bulawayo to jump-start the Boeing 767 that had developed a technical problem at Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo recently.

The Herald understands that Airzim management was concerned after the Air Start Unit had not arrived in Bulawayo by midday Saturday on August 24 after leaving Harare on Friday at 10pm.

Curiously, the official’s mobile phones were no longer reachable, prompting Airzim bosses to suspect that the key equipment could have been diverted.

This resulted in police being notified of matter so traffic officers could be on the lookout for the machinery.

Airzim corporate affairs manager Mr Tafadzwa Mazonde told The Herald last week that the unpaid leave was not targeting one person.

“First and foremost, you should understand that Air Zimbabwe is under reconstruction and in a framework of reconstruction, there is bound to be some structural adjustments which extend even to employees.

“You move employees from this end to that end. Just for the avoidance of doubt, no one was fired but proceeded on leave,” said Mr Mazonde.

He said to ensure the success of the reconstruction of Airzim, they will try to make sure “whatever anomalies have been noted” are corrected.

Added Mr Mazonde: “To date, we have just over 43 employees that proceeded to unpaid leave.

The person you are talking about is not the only one in the department (who has been sent on unpaid leave), they are many.

“The exercise hasn’t ended, it’s an ongoing exercise. It’s across the whole company, in some cases. It even affected senior managers; it’s not segregated to say ‘it’s targeting low-level staff’, no. Many people have been affected, from engineering, flight operations, HR, marketing, everyone.”

Asked the motive of sending employees on unpaid leave, Mr Mazonde it was in the spirit of “staff rationalisation”, in line with the reconstruction process.

“That is what reconstruction is all about. Reconstruction looks at benefits, efficiencies; so we are looking at what we can do to improve the system,” he said.