TANZANIA: Protesters demand release of national carrier seized by South African govt

Scores of angry protesters thronged the streets of Tanzania’s main city of Dar es Salaam demanding the release of a Tanzanian plane seized in South Africa last week.

Reports say hundreds of protesters rallied outside South Africa’s High Commission in the country’s capital chanting in Swahili: “We want our plane back.”

One protester carried a placard reading: “Remember we offered food, land and skills to your freedom fighters but today [President Cyril] Ramaphosa offers space for our enemies to beat us! Release our Air Bus.”

READ ALSO: Saudi ignores plea by WHO, bans pilgrims, from DRC, 3 other countries over Ebola scare

The protests however turned awry as police later dispersed the protesters with Dar er Salaam’s chief of police informing that his officers had arrested some of the protest’s ringleaders.

Last Friday, the Air Tanzania Airbus 220-3 was impounded by the South African authorities following an order from the High Court in Johannesburg.

A retired farmer said it was because Tanzania’s government had not paid him $33m (£28.8m) it owed in compensation after his farm was nationalised in the 1980s.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now