Mugabe Bums A Lift To Senegal

So Mugabe was intending to commandeer an Air Zimbabwe aircraft to travel to Senegal, but then caught a lift with Gaddafi instead.

There was a time that Mugabe had a Presidential aircraft, but obviously someone broke it.

How come he doesn't use the aircraft that was being used by the 'mercenaries' en route to Equatorial Guinea a few years ago that was forfeit to the State?

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"Scores of Robert Mugabe's security men were left stranded at the Harare International Airport after Mugabe hitch-hiked Libya's leader Colonel Gaddafi's private jet to fly him to Senegal instead of using an Air Zimbabwe plane as previously planned.

Globetrotting Mugabe traditionally commandeers as Air Zimbabwe plane and travels with a large delegation of over 60 officials and relatives on his frequent foreign trips, but last weeks Libyan dictator Muamour Gaddafi dispatched a plane to ferry him to Dakar to attend Senegal's 50th independence celebrations.

A source at Munhumutapa building said only less than 15 officials were able to travel with Mugabe as Gaddafi's jet was too small to accommodate the ageing dictator's large delegation of over 60 people."

Why does Mugabe deem it necessary to travel with a 60 person entourage? Is he that paranoid that he needs to have so many security personnel? And he has so many hangers-on that he just takes them all instead of downsizing and limiting the expense.

Leaving so many security personnel behind upset some people, because they have to hand back the currency that they had paid in advance of the junket. Methinks that some of the people left behind will be a little bit bitter with these events.

And those lucky enough to travel on the ‘small jet’ will be able to spend their allowances, but how will they be getting back – along with their pruchases? Will Mugabe commandeer an Air Zimbabwe aircraft from its paying long haul flights and have it swing into Senegal and pick him up – all paid for by the government of Zimbabwe (which really means it is paid for by the Zimbabwean tax payer – and there are fewer and fewer of those these days)?

"Some of them had already squandered part of their allowances before the journey and they will have to borrow in order to replace the money."

People from within the delegation that frequently travels with Mugabe are "hopeful that Mugabe will not buy a small presidential jet in future as most of them would lose out from the frequent foreign trips.

He said Mugabe, the first lady and most of his officials use foreign trips for shopping sprees, adding that the regime is fighting to have sanctions imposed on them to enable them to travel to Paris London to do their regular shopping."

Mugabe doesn't want targeted travel sanctions lifted for political reasons, but he wants them lifted so that he and Amazing (Dis)Grace can go shopping at Harrods.

It has been quite a while since we have heard Mugabe say anything about the lifestyles of those in Zimbabwe – mainly because he will not acknowledge the people’s existence, because then he may be held accountable for their adverse and poverty stricken lives.

It is easier to bum a lift on a passing dictator’s aircraft than it is for him to serve the people that allegedly voted him into office – an office that he refuses now to vacate.

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man