Plumtree pilot defies racial attitudes to pursue dream

Mashudu Netsianda, Deputy News Editor
FORTY years and still counting years of flying different aircraft types, heads of States, the late Prince Philip; husband to the late Queen Elizabeth II, and roles spanning basic flying, advanced flying, captain, training captain, first officer and senior first officer.

He defied post-colonial racial attitudes against blacks by whites who at the time occupied key positions in Government institutions soon after independence.

This is the fascinating account of Captain Simon Thalon Moyo’s story, which started in 1983 when the Plumtree-born pilot, 23 years old at the time, joined the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) at Thornhill Air Base.

Thornhill Air Base is one of the two main air bases of the AFZ located near Gweru, and it is home to air force fighter squadrons and the Pilot Training School.

Capt Moyo has flown an Airbus 340 for 22 hours, Boeing 767-200ER/300 for 5 368 hours, Boeing 737-200 (3 579 hours), Boeing 707 (394 hours), Cessna 406 (164 hours), PA44-180 (10 hours), CASA 212 (2 266 hours), BN2A (500 hours) and SIAI-Marchetti SF260M/W for 159 hours.

He was also part of the cockpit crew that flew an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767 passenger aircraft, which was dispatched to China to collect the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines in February last year. So far, he has flown President Mnangagwa twice from Harare to Bulawayo and Harare-Thornhill Air Base.

He also flew the late former President Mugabe and the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo during and after the period preceding the PF-Zapu and Zanu Unity Accord in December 1987, the late former South African President Nelson Mandela and former Namibian President Sam Nujoma.

For him, stepping on board an SIAI-Marchetti SF.260, an Italian light aircraft, for the very first time following his selection to join the AFZ for cadetship, was a dream come true!

The SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 (now Leonardo SF-260) is an Italian light aircraft which has been commonly marketed as a military trainer and aerobatics aircraft.

Capt Moyo was among the first crop of young black Zimbabweans to train as pilots at the AFZ, which, at the time, was dominated by whites.

“I was part of a group of the second intake of blacks to join the Air Force of Zimbabwe in 1983 as part of a government scheme soon after independence since there had never been black pilots. The first black pilot who managed to go through the first training was Edwin Dube,” he said.

Capt Moyo said in his group nine blacks underwent the training, and each province was represented.

“I represented Matabeleland South province and, in that group, we had nine whites. When we finally graduated there were only two blacks who made it, and that was me and one Fortune Chiwara, and as for the white group, seven went through,” he said.

Capt Moyo said soon after independence, blacks were discriminated against in terms of flying in the skies largely because at the time the whites were still controlling the Air Force.

“I remember during that time the likes of Madinda Ndlovu and Moses Chunga were household names in soccer. Our white colleagues would sarcastically say ‘flying is not for blacks, just go and join your brothers Madinda and Chunga on the soccer field,’” he said.

“It was really bad because of the racially discriminatory tendencies of the whites who were in charge of the training programme. We didn’t have a voice then and the whites were the ones in control and they didn’t like us.” After completing his training, which was an 18-month course,, Capt Moyo got his wings.

“We were then deployed to our squadrons as operational pilots and I was deployed to Manyame Air Force base to fly transport aircraft, which are called troop carriers,” said Capt Moyo.

He was later sent to Mozambique to support the Zimbabwe National Army, which had been deployed to that country to assist in combating the Mozambican National Front (Renamo­) armed bandits.

The war was being fought between the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) led government and insurgent forces of the Renamo.

“I was based in Chimoio and we stayed there till late 1991. I was the last person to leave Mozambique after our troops were recalled because I was assigned to fly the Zimbabwean team, which was part of the joint verification committee overseeing the truce between Renamo and Frelimo,” said Capt Moyo.

Article Source: The Chronicle