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Harare Bureau
THE police are now waiting for results of a post mortem which is underway to ascertain the nationality of a body found in a plane impounded at the Harare International Airport on Sunday, police chief spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, said yesterday.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said investigations were also still on going.

“We’re now waiting for the results of the post mortem but investigations are going on,” she said.

“There are a number of questions that have been raised that need answers. For example, for how long has the body been in the plane and how did the person die?

“The investigation isn’t a once-off thing but a process so people have to be patient. As soon as we get something concrete we’ll call for a press conference. Right now we’re still in the initial stages of the investigations.”

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said this was the first time that such a thing had happened in Zimbabwe so it required due diligence.

She said the crew members and the aircraft were still in the country because there are number of questions that required answers.

Meanwhile, the South African government has since confirmed that the plane was carrying a consignment of its money printed overseas.

In a statement yesterday, South African Reserve Bank group executive currency cluster, Pradeep Maharaj, said they were working with relevant authorities to ensure that the consignment was released.

“The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has the statutory responsibility for, among others, the issuance of banknotes and coins in the country,” he said.

“The SARB, in the normal course of its currency operations adheres to sound business practices and has business contingency planning arrangements in place to secure a continued supply of banknotes to the economy.

“These arrangements are put in place to mitigate any major disruption in the domestic banknote operations. Banknote printing has long lead times and the synchronisation between the international and domestic currency producing operations is critical to ensure a swift transition should the need arise in case of a major disruption.

“The bulk of the annual production of banknotes is done locally in South Africa and a small percentage is done offshore as part of the contingency plans of the SARB.

“The aircraft currently detained at Harare Airport is carrying a consignment of South African banknotes that was produced overseas as part of the SARB’s annual production plan. The SARB is working closely with the relevant authorities to have the cargo released and transported to South Africa.”