WHY ZAMBIA AIRWAYS SHOULD BE LIQUIDATED OR RENEGOTIATED BEFORE IT TAKES OFF
These are the key terms that the PF singed with Ethiopian Airlines for the establishment of Zambia Airways ;
1: Zambian government to take 51% shareholding and Ethiopian Airlines 49%.
2: Zambian government has made a capital contribution of $4.5 Million, Ethiopian Airlines has paid $0.00
3: Zambian government to pay Ethiopian Airlines $80,000 per month as expert fees.
4: Zambian government to provide 2 planes paid for by the PF in 2015 but the planes have never arrived.
5: Ethiopian Airlines has been given the power to appoint the CEO and management of Zambia Airways.
Zambian government has no say whatsoever.
6: Ethiopian Airlines will be paid $1.2 Million per year as marketing fees, yet a local Zambian marketing agency was rejected at a price of only $11,000 per month.
7: The Zambian government through IDC has been paying legal fees on behalf of Ethiopian Airlines for legal fees related to aircraft leasing from a third party, essentially meaning that Ethiopian Airlines is acting as a middleman.
8: Zambian government to pay Ethiopian Airlines $1.7 Million in staff training fees.
9: The agreement is for a period of 5 years.
10: The Zambian government is required to raise $16.5 Million in cash while Ethiopian Airlines $13.5 Million in the form of leased aircraft.
11: There’s a huge pay discrepancy between Ethiopian staff and Zambian staff, the work environment is said to be toxic and discriminatory against Zambians.
Now fellow Zambians, if this isn’t a bad deal then what is?
Is this the price we have to pay to have a national airline?
Zambia as a country will not benefit anything from this arrangement with Ethiopia, it smacks of PF corruption and the New Dawn Government should either renegotiate this deal or pull out and liquidate Zambia Airways in National Interest.
NDC MEDIA 29.11.2021