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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
The State has indicated that there are extraterritorial investigations to be conducted in South Africa and Botswana in the corruption charges against the Secretary for Transport and Infrastructural Development, Munesushe Munodawafa.

Munodawafa (49) is accused of ordering Air Zimbabwe to pay Navistar Insurance Brokers $305 000 apparently without justifying the payment.

On another count, he is accused of directing the airline to lease a plane from South Africa without going to tender, and ordering Airzim to pay an associate of his a “finder’s fee” of $10 200 per month.

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Munodawafa yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe for routine remand and was given a longer remand period pending the extraterritorial investigations.

Mr Mahwe remanded him to August 26.

On the first count, on November 3 2009, an MA60 aircraft was involved in an accident at Harare International Airport after wild pigs wandered onto the runway.

The aircraft, the court heard, was a complete write-off and the airline was paid $6,1 million by its London re-insurer, Chartis Insurance Company.

On April 23 2010, Chartis Insurance made a counter claim of the same amount against the CAAZ for their negligence in failing to ensure that the runway was safe.

The claim included $2,419,724 for loss of business by Airzim.

The CAAZ, which is Government-owned, approached Munodawafa’s office for assistance and he in turn appointed Navistar Insurance Brokers to go to London and negotiate an out-of-court settlement without going to tender, it is alleged.

At the time of Navistar’s appointment, Munodawafa was fully aware that the CAAZ’s insurance broker was Marsh Insurance Brokers.

Upon the return of Navistar from London, Munodawafa wrote to the then Airzim accounting officer, Innocent Mavhunga, directing him to pay Navistar a “success fee” of $305 000.

On the second count, following the MA60 accident, Munodawafa on April 18 2013, personally negotiated the lease of an Embraer plane from Solenta Aviation of South Africa through his friend, Ben Dahwa.

Thereafter, he allegedly directed Mavhunga to rent the plane from Solenta Aviation without going to tender.

Subsequently, the plane was leased for six months with a condition to pay an “irregular finder’s fee” of $10 200 to Dahwa every month.