DEVICE FOR KING’S JET STOLEN?

MBABANE – Has a gadget, which is used for the King’s private jet, gone missing? One of the pilots of His Majesty King Mswati III’s private jet had his house broken into, and a number of items including a gadget used for the airplane were allegedly stolen.
The pilot, who is of Greek origin, lives around Mountain View, Mbabane, in a rented house. So far, at least three men have been called in for questioning on the matter. According to our impeccable sources, the men did some works while the house was being constructed.

The burglary occurred between December 15 and 16, while the pilot was away. One version of how the device got lost is that a bag carrying it was taken together with all the other items which were stolen from the house during the burglary.
The impeccable sources mentioned that the thieves probably did not have an idea what they had stolen.

Men questioned

The matter is being dealt with by the Lukhozi Serious Crimes Unit of the Royal Eswatini Police Service. The men who were called in for questioning were summoned on different days, and some were advised not to leave the country, as they would be called anytime for further questioning.

It is alleged that during the questioning, police requested those summoned to at least bring back the missing gadget because it was of utmost importance.
However, Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni said the investigating officers responsible for the case were not willing to talk about it because it was very sensitive and touched on royalty.
She said, therefore, she also could not comment on the matter. When probed further if the burglary had occurred, Mnguni said the people under Lukhozi had said the matter involved royalty, and the police service could not respond to any questions on such issues.

Chief Officer in the King’s Office Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze clarified that all matters relating to the King’s jet were the responsibility of the Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation.
He said the King’s jet and the pilots were all managed by the entity and so the King’s Office was not mandated to comment on matters pertaining to them.
The chief wondered why the police were refusing to comment on the matter yet a crime had been committed. “Are they refuting that the burglary occurred? Why don’t they comment because they are the ones who deal with crime?” Gamedze wondered.

Airways confirms theft

Royal Eswatini Airways Corporation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) President Dhlamini said matters touching on royalty should be respected. He said such issues were not to be discussed with the media willy-nilly.
Dhlamini said burglaries occurred all the time, and he was not being hostile, but was only advising this reporter of the due diligence that had to be exercised.
Dhlamini confirmed that the burglary occurred but said he did not know anything about the missing device. He said he did not know what device the pilot could be in possession of.
He said the matter was being handled by the police, and they were the ones who had a list of all the items that were stolen during the burglary.

“This side, we are handling how we can improve the safety and security of the pilot,” he said.
His Majesty the King’s private jet - an Airbus A340-300 - arrived in the country on April 13, 2018.  The jet was bought for E200 million. His Majesty used the jet for the first time on April 23 when he went to attend the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Double Troika Summit for Heads of State and governments of the regional body in Luanda, Angola.

Plans to buy His Majesty a new jet came after ex-Members of Parliament (MPs) said the twin-engine McDonnell Douglas DC-9, which was impounded in Canada for about six months, would no longer be safe for the King as no one knew what things had been done to it.
The legislators made this known during the tabling and adoption of a draft resolution of Parliament’s House of Assembly on the impounded State aircraft in March 2015. The former parliamentarians said as much as they were happy that the Canadian Courts had ordered the release of the aircraft, they were very sceptical about its condition.

The plane was confiscated after Salgaocar shareholder Shanmuga Rethenam, popularly known as Shan, obtained an order for its attachment. This was a process which local authorities claimed no knowledge of. But the order calling for the release of the plane was issued by Justice Dow after attorneys representing the kingdom successfully argued that the interests of justice favoured its release.
It was further contented that the State aircraft enjoyed diplomatic immunity; hence, it was wrong for Canadian Courts to order it to be impounded in the first place.

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