A PRIVATE-Jet that was allegedly transporting 22 kilogrammes of gold worth about $800 000, yesterday crashed in Matabeleland North’s Bubi District.
The jet which had two people, probably the pilot and his co-pilot, crashed at around 2PM in Ward 19 in Kennilworth and the two escaped with minor injuries.
The identities of the pair could not be established yesterday.
Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) Acting Flight Safety Standards Director Mr James Danga confirmed the incident last night.
“Yes a private jet believed to belong to Central Air Traffic Services crashed this afternoon. Two people were on board and they sustained minor injuries.
“We don’t have much details on the incident yet but we’ve dispatched a team to the scene to conduct investigations,” he said.
Mr Danga said the jet took off from Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo and was flying to Charles Prince Airport in Harare.
He could not immediately comment on the gold.
Bubi Ward 19 councillor Villian Nkomazana said he had been informed that a jet crashed in his ward and that two people who were aboard the plane survived with minor injuries.
“I’m not on the ground but I’ve been informed that a private jet crashed next to a baobab tree in village 13 in my ward,” he said.
A source at the scene said the two survivors told them that they were transporting 22 kilogrammes of gold from a mine in Matabeleland South to Harare.
“Soon after the crash, they contacted Fawcett Security company whose guards were at the scene in no time and after a while another jet came and picked up the two,” said a source.
Fawcett security company regional manager in Bulawayo declined to comment.
According to the source, a team from CAAZ and police had by last night started investigations to establish the cause of the crash.
Matabeleland North acting police provincial spokesperson Assistant Inspector Eglon Nkala said last night that he had not received information on the accident.