On Friday evening ( 12 July 2019). ZimLive tweeted that the president hired a jet from Dubai to fly him for 20 minutes to attend the MSU graduation and that the jet was on its way back to Dubai that evening.
#EXCLUSIVE President Emmerson Mnangagwa today hired a private jet from Dubai to fly the 20-minute journey to Gweru to attend a graduation ceremony at the Midlands State University. The Airbus 318-112(CJ) Elite is now airborne returning to Dubai pic.twitter.com/s2PCimacJq
— ZimLive (@zimlive) July 12, 2019
Award-winning Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono then asked who owned the jet and says he was starting to think that this plane is owned by some1 in the regime but it is stationed in Dubai for strategic reasons & that it is being used to siphon money from the State.
Who owns this plane. I am now starting to think that this plane is owned by some1 in the regime but it is stationed in Dubai for strategic reasons & that it is being used to siphon money from the State!
Why on Earth would the President hire a plane from Dubai to fly him to Gweru? https://t.co/qVif2l7O5v— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) July 12, 2019
The responses that came after that have opened a world of speculations with other publications claiming that Tendai Biti in his response was saying the President owns the jet. Tendai Biti didn’t mention any names in his response.
So you own your own plane that you bought from the millions you stole from our diamonds.?Then you use the same to ransack national coffers ? Have you no conscience ? Do you not have skin on your face ?. Do you not have elasticity ?. You my friend are shameless
— TENDAI BITI (@BitiTendai) July 13, 2019
Responses started flocking in in the following tweets
#TBgate. Follow the TBs!
— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) July 12, 2019
A good question and answer. Its a diversion to keep your mind from exploring the real reasons why the plane comes for 20 minutes. Its what it takes out of Zim and under presidential cover which qualifies the 20 mins. Gold and minerals. They are smuggling Gold out of the country.
— NguniGrandmaster (@Mavulindlela) July 12, 2019
@daddyhope have u forgotten @LanceGuma reported on this soon after coup.
The General’s wife pockets something each time she arranges these trips pic.twitter.com/dA8P1XIKPt— Simon Chiruka1🇦🇺🇿🇼 (@SChiruka1) July 12, 2019
Ini I blv its used to ferry gold. Dubai once said its gold stockpile is increasing coz of its rshp with Africa. I think if u connect all the dots, it wl reach there.
— Ocup (@kudnhekairo) July 13, 2019
The ownership of the jet has not yet been established. If we get new information we will keep you updated.
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