Zimbabwe suggests paying US$1 million every three months – as South African Airways continues fight for stuck US$50 million

SOUTH Africa’s Department of International Relations was expected to face Parliament on Tuesday to explain its efforts in recovering over US$50 million (R1 billion) from Zimbabwe that is owed to state airline South African Airways (SAA).

Zimbabwe’s liquidity crunch has resulted in it failing to settle about US$59 million in SAA ticket sales for its regular commercial flights between Johannesburg and Harare as well as the resort town of Victoria Falls.

This debt has accumulated since 2020.

That figure is the bulk of what SAA is owed by different countries also said to be facing a similar but markedly better crisis in comparison. SAA is owed a total of R1.4 billion.

In 2024, SAA reported that Zimbabwe had proposed a payment plan of US$1 million per three months, which would have translated to just over 16 years. That suggestion was trashed as officials felt the timeline was too long.

“The remaining $50 million, they indicated a payment plan at an amount of $1 million (R16 million) per quarter. Now that is a very long payment plan, that to date, we have not yet received funds,” said then SAA chief financial officer Lindsay Olitzski, who retired in March this year.

In 2024, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy told Parliament that they would consider diplomatic efforts to recover the stuck funds.

On Tuesday, South African broadcaster Newzroom Afrika reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa had discussions on the matter.

“Six or so years later, nothing has been paid,” said business and finance writer Ntokozo Khumalo.