Former Workers of the defunct Zambia Airways are still living in the dark as to when government will pay them their terminal benefits following the liquidation of the company in 1994.
On December 24, 1994, on the eve of Christmas, Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda then Republican vice-president announced that Zambia’s flag carrier, Zambia Airways had been liquidated leaving its employees jobless and some homeless.
Kennedy Phiri, who is among the hundreds of Zambia Airways workers who were thrown on the streets after the liquidation of the company, said they have not been paid their benefits despite assurances from the successive governments to do so.
He said the late former President Dr. Fredrick Chiluba assured the ex-workers after liquidation that they would be paid their benefits from the money realised from the sale of the Airline’s assets which he said never happened and after his reign, all successive governments have kept on promising.
Mr. Phiri explained that life has not been easy for ex-Zambia Airways workers as they had not been served with any form of notice ahead of the closure adding that the closure came as a shock to everyone who was caught unprepared to leave employment.
Mr. Phiri who now resides in Chainda Compound has since appealed to President Michael Sata to help the ex-workers who he said are living as destitute while others have died without getting their benefits despite their service to the nation.
Zambia Airways was founded in 1964 as a subsidiary of Central African Airways and went under in 1994 leaving its workforce in dire straits.
ZANIS
Before liquidation, late Penza promised us that he would “deal with us”… and true to his word it came to pass. There are people who have since gone on to lose double – jumping into new airlines that are equally brought down; joining other parastatals that savage their retirees and other employees deserving of arrears… it is a vicious cycle in Zed…
Sorry Mr. Phiri. This is a lost cause. You know how many companies went under during Chiluba’s reign and the former employees are languishing? That’s when real plundering of the national wealth took place. Sata was in government then. Just forget it.
The picture above is misleading. Zambia Airways never had a Boeing 747 as pictured above. Journalists must chekc their facts before publishing them. It is an insult to misinform the public, and I would suggest a law to halt such misconduct like this one.
I was also wondering; the largest we had was a DC-10…
True QZ never had a 747 the fleet as at time f liquidation was DC10,Boeing 757 cargo,2 ATR 42,boeing 737 and a DC8
Chiluba took it with him.
Not at the time of liquidation but QZ did fly a leased Jumbo Jet in the early 70’s so the picture is right. It would be misleading if Zambia Airways had never had a Boeing 747 ever in their fleet before but they did and I personally see nothing wrong with that picture.
NUMBBER3 MUNYATI,THANKYOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR OBSERVATION BECAUSE WHEN I SAW THE OICTURE OF THE AIRCRAFT I SAID TO MYSELF ZAMBIA AIRWAYS NEVER EVER HAS AQUIRED 747 JUMBO JET,ZAMBIA AIRWAYS USED TO HAVE THE OLD BOING 707 AND IN THE MID EIGHTIES THEY LEASED 1 BOIEING DC10 FROM A COMPANY IN ATLANTA USA. REPORTERS MUST NOT TAKE PEOPLE GRANTED BY GIVING FALSE INFORMATION
Good Fantasy, I was surprised when I saw the picture wondered whether it was a cargo plane, but then saw the windows. We only had the ‘Nkwazi’ a DC 10 and a four engined DC 8 or something like that. Ama Mc Donnell 36 seaters yabili and two of those small useless two engined Hawker Syddley planes. The picture though remined me about the past. My flight to Rome through Lanarca in 1990 enroute to Helsinki, the hearty meal and wines, I had in the first class of the DC8. Yaba Chiluba kwena rest in peace. You really messed us up. Kwaliba ichalo anything Kaunda kufumya including a country’s motto sure.
True that no 3 and 4. The plane in the picture is a 747-400 and Zambia Airways never owned or operated this aircraft. As for Mr Phiri, you are wasting your breath, FTJ, LPM, RB and now MCS will probably never attend to this issue.Â
Come on guys open your eyes. That picture is real, that is why all the pension money was squandered.
The picture brought tears to my eyes when I remebered Zambia Airways but a closer look told me I was not looking at the magnificent “Nkhwazi.” However, we should not write off this picture. Maybe such a plane was acquired and the liquidators somewhat intercepted it before it was delivered and sold it somewhere. Let us ask one of the people involved in Privatisation Mr Hakainde Hichilema who is still very much around.
Sadly, the MMD have misled the nation on many issues, one of them being that of Zambia Airways. In all normal, sane nations, no company is ever liquidated when it has the value of its assets being greater than its liabilities. Zambia Airways had more assets than liabilities. The proof can be seen where even here in Botswana, it was as late as 2007 that funds belonging to Zambia Airways were retrieved from Bank of Botswana by the High Commissioner following publication of a list of all entities that had unclaimed funds in commercial banks. Zambia Airways’ closure was criminal and only aimed at serving the interests of a few corrupt people in the MMD.
For real?
Zambia Airways never had a boeing 747, leased one or hired one. This is probably an artist impression of how the aircraft would look in ZA colors. The biggest aircraft was a DC 10 captained by Captain Mulundika. As for you my brother crying for benefits , it is a lost cause. Unless you can find a good law lawyer who can help you attach the remaining assets of Zambia Airways in Europe and USA. But that would be costly for you as you will be fighting an on going liquidation process.
Yes!!! I personally handed the Zambia Airways name to Musakabantu, who was the High Commissioner here. This was during LPM’s presidency. Soon after collecting the funds, he flew off to Lusaka to meet LPM. Sadly, he did not tell me the amount that he collected, other than telling me that I was a real patriotic Zambian!!
@3 good point. It was the first thing that struck me when I saw the picture. Zambia Airways operating a 747-400…..!!
Eee but the picture is real although the question is where is this aircraft? Can HH be kind enough to tell us since he is an ‘expert’ in liquidation. could it be that HH and his colleagues sold this aircraft? now i know where HH got the billions he boasts.
The law provided that when a company was liquidated workers were only entitled to be paid K2.00 (two kwacha). I am not sure if this law has been amended to provide for better liquidation packages of affected employees.
If my memory serves me right, govt promised to rectify the law and then proceed to pay the affected former employees.
Sad that to this day, these people are still languishing and crying for help. Can someone please decisively respond to their plight?
lm not sure if it has been amended-but the law favoured the liqiudator thats how HH made his millions and left the workers holding the bag and he thinks that qualifies him to rule the country
Is there any wonder why Zambia is underdeveloped? It is a nation of dreamers. ‘Photoshopping’ a Boieng 747 sure!
Unless Zambia Airways chattered it, I never heard of a Boieng 747 but 707 and the DC 10 Nkhwazi.
Pay them please plus interest!
Spot on #3 Zambia Airways didn’t have a Boeing 747 in their fleet nobody would have leased them that aircraft with their dodgy cash flow problems.LT admin just poached a photo-shopped picture without taking a closer look.
Zambia Airways owned property in first class locations of most of the major cities around the world. I am still not convinced that all that property was accounted for. I wonder why issues of national interest should be secrets of a sitting government. The list must be published. Someone might just notice an omission – like Munyati disclosed.
LT is this a dream, was this plane on order because we never had our 747-400 on our fleet, largest jetliner we had was DC10 named Nkwazi??? Please learn to put real pictures, we can send you the DC10 Picture. Government please bring back Zambia Airways, Chiluba just stoke because that airline just need management overhaul not liquidation.
QZ had 1 DC 10,2 B707 passenger planes,2 B707 freighters which were later sold to Sudan and one crashed a few years later,2 B737-100 planes which are believed to have gone to Israel for repair and never came back,2 leased. ATR 42 PROP-TURBO,1 DC8 presidential plane that brought back the coffins of the late KK 11 from Gabon.and the 2 Hawker Siddley planes NOT forgetting the B757F that was state of the art at that time!
Poor Zambia!
Very soon you will hear the chief “trumpeteer” has rescued former ZA employees :)Â
It is true at the time QZ was been liquidated it had ordered that B747-400 which was already painted in QZ colours from the USA waiting for delivery and then FTJ and his freinds gave Zambia a sucker punch!.QZ had plans to open a route to TOKYO via Shanghai where the the B747 was going to be used
Im sure like in most countries, Zambia should have a statute of limitation.Basically this means money owed after a certain period of time can no longer be claimed. The periods are generally for 5 years. So if this law exists then claiming benefits at this point is a lost cause.
That picture is photosoped.
I am an QZ employee and I can confirm that we were paid by the Liquidator. Not sure where Kennedy is talking from. He used to be confused Guy even back then though.Â
The picture is real. At one time Brigedier General Haimbe at the time as MD for Zambia Airways hinted to me that the airline was contemplating on purchasing a Boeing 747 or DC-10. The Boeing 747 was going to be configured as as Cargo/Passenger. Somehow in the meeting it was decided that the arline do away with the combo configuration. Taking other operational technical factors into consideration, the DC-10 won. At the time, McDonnel Douglas did not have a plane available for immediate sale and building one for Zambia was going to take time. Apparently, Egypt had a DC-10 ready for delivery but somehow, they cancelled the order. It is that plane that Zambia decided on buying and ultimately came to be called Nkwazi.
Brig Gen Haimbe travelled to Long Beach, California and test flew the DC-10 as Captain for about 5 hours.
All we need is Zambia Airways back into operation. We are tired of using other Airlines…..
747, boy! next a 380…….
747 really looks beautiful in zed colours. i wish…..
The picture of the plane above is an artists impression . The biggest passenger carrying air craft we had at the time was a Mcdonell Douglas DC10, on lease from Alitalia! I worked in the accounts dept (cost and budget…lol..)at the Airport at the time . Can someone jog my memory about this Mr. Phiri?
My recollection would suggest that all employees at the time were given terminal benefits or redundancy money as it were at the time!
If ZA had a 747 they would have been flying it direct New York or LA, then those sly captains with their pilots at the time would have been flying it to London and Delhi and back to New York on the side and reporting to HQ that its grounded!!lol
Ladies and Gentlemen: We did not have it at the time of liquidation but QZ did fly a leased Jumbo Jet in the early 70?s so the picture is right. It would be misleading if Zambia Airways had never had a Boeing 747 ever in their fleet before but they did and I personally see nothing wrong with that picture.
The DC-10 actually replaced the leased 747 on the long range flights. We didn’t own the plane but it was leased. QZ had actually started working on owning our own fleet at the beginning of the 80’s. In fact, this 747 flew to London Heathrow via Rome and Bombay via Cairo while the DC10 when commissioned started to fly direct to London and New York via Monrovia.
This is as far as I can remember.
You’re lying mate. The picture is of a Boeing 747-400 series with winglets on it’s wings, this series was commssioned in the late eighties, the one’s from the seventies never had winglets and the long haul flights were with a boeing 707 which the DC-10 later replaced. Rightie oh mate, I’m sure that will jog your memory.
X QZ, Ka Kennedy worked at Traffic. He lived in Chelston at house no L65. The house was the only green house in QZ compound. He used to beat his wife a ot when he was drunk. I am sure he is now devorced. I don’t know why he is saying we were not paid.
dude , you are cracking my ribs!!!!! However now that you have mentioned traffic , I reckon I know this guy…Personally I left the organisation prior to its liquidation ,” jan 93 ” to be specific but my understanding based on evidence from a good friend of mine whom I linked up with up later is that all those who were made redundant were well paid at the time! Chances are that this guy took the so called package and partied hard for a few years…lol…
iwe #4 there’s never been a plane called a “Boeing DC10”. Macdonald Douglas and Boeing have never come together to manufacture a plane.
I just did some quick online research and was shocked to find out that QZ did lease a 747-100 from 29 Sept 1988 – 5 Nov 1988. I don’t even know if it ever flew commercially.Â
 See: http://www.planesregister.com/aircraft/b747-19746.htm
You are the best, I remember seeing my dad off in this plane at then Lusaka International Airport now Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. My first was the DC-10 that actually replaced it.
A lot of ex-ZA workers by now are dead from poverty, kudwala, and depression. If the the money came today, it would have come a little too late. That is why we need to open our eyes and take these companies to task pamene apo. Look at the Sulphur Dioxide story in Mufulira. A lot of miners have died from that shit. These are big cases that if properly handled can be deterrents to those companies who intended to ill treat and take advantage of their employees or ex.
QZ did lease the 747 from Tower air in 1988 tho for a very short time ..this was a wet lease , meaning the plane came with its own crew , not a Zambian crew ( flight Deck )
At one point we even had a second DC 10 for a short while too .Â
#22Â
I think you mean to say .. The MD -11 was the one on order ,
Not the B747 .
Just saying .
Zedians, no logical comments. QZ was In a mess and something needed to  dedonel iI can only tell what needed to bbe done aafter seeing the its financial books 5 years leading up to liquidation. Move on former QZ employees and get a life.
Ba Kobe: We could have allowed Zambia Airways to go into managed bankruptcy just like America Airlines is going through its own right now. Liquidation was a very foolish thing to do and I am now speaking as a qualified accountant and a business owner on this topic.
The QZ story is a very sad story, it is a good example of what happens when you let naïve people with so much zeal but with very little knowledge (clever but not smart) take over complicated things like running conglomerates within the Zambian Enterprise.
People’s lives are not there for experiments, we need sober minds to take on the reigns so that the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise would never ever again find themselves in reverse motion when it comes to national development.
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Ba Kobe: We could have allowed Zambia Airways to go into managed bankruptcy just like America Airlines is going through its own right now. Liquidation was a very foolish thing to do and I am now speaking as a qualified accountant and a business owner on this topic.
The QZ story is a very sad story, it is a good example of what happens when you let naïve people with so much zeal but with very little knowledge (clever but not smart) take over complicated things like running conglomerates within the Zambian Enterprise.
People’s lives are not there for experiments, we need sober minds to take on the reigns so that the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise would never ever again find themselves in reverse motion when it comes to national development.
wow good to hear of all these views frm u ppl the only thing i remb abt zambia airways was the song which had a nice tune frm the advert its so sad indeed bt wht i remb very well was the plight of lima bank coz we were children of the former employee and like zambia airways it never ended well
To start and run an airline is one thing. To close it is quite another. Who on earth decides close shop in December, the busiest time of year. All passengers stuck with little or no alternative, when all other airlines are fully booked as well.
To get something achieved in Zambia was always quite a nightmare. Huge amounts of staff, except the one we needed. Secretaries never knew where their bosses were, or if and when they would be back that day to solve problems caused by themselves.
Unlike at ‘home’, we never had issues with the European offices in Rome, Amsterdam and London. Small, very efficient, with a few loyal, multitasking and multilingual staff, each dealing with a large number of countries.
With a similar set-up everywhere else, closing the airline could have been avoided.