[Here is another example of the extreme damage to the economy. But, take heart, because one must remember, that Mugabe’s grip on power is itself weakened considerably by this economic damage. He should be blasted out of power. Jan]

Harare – Zimbabwe’s national airline has had to cancel flights on some of its established routes, including the popular Harare to London route, due to its worst fuel shortage in years, the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported on Thursday.

Air Zimbabwe spokesperson David Mwenga told the Herald that some of Air Zimbabwe’s flights had been suspended due to a shortage of jet aviation fuel, but did not specify the routes.

An unnamed airline official, however, told the paper that flights to South Africa, Britain as well as to Zimbabwe’s premier tourist destination, the Victoria Falls, “were suspended due to the shortages of fuel”.

The official also told the paper that two aircraft, including a Boeing 737, had been grounded due to a lack of spares. Zimbabwe has only a tiny fleet of planes.

Amid the fuel crisis, long winding queues of motorists are the order of the day at the few service stations that do receive fuel, while queues of empty cars parked outside dry service stations are also becoming a common sight in the capital.

Zimbabwe has been critically short of foreign currency in recent years needed to import fuel and spares, a situation critics blame on President Robert Mugabe’s controversial five-year old land reform programme which they say has hurt farming output, the country’s economic backbone.

Mugabe’s government blames the foreign currency crunch on the country’s drought and also cites the sanctions slapped on Harare by Western countries. – Sapa-dpa

Source: News24.Com
URL: http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/…/p>