Harare - A Zimbabwean businessman is suing the country's
debt-ridden national airline for 10,000 dollars because staff on a
flight failed to serve him with a vegetarian meal as requested,
Zimbabwean media reported Monday.
The daily Herald newspaper said Jayesh Shah, a company director,
had asked for a special vegetarian meal on a flight from Singapore to
Harare in September last year, but did not get it.
He demanded compensation, and when the airline failed to pay up,
he took them to the Harare High Court, insisting that Air Zimbabwe
had broken its contract with him to provide him with a meat-free
meal.
The airline says Shah's claim is exorbitant compensation for any
damages he may have suffered by doing without his vegetarian dish.
Air Zimbabwe says the inflight food is provided by a South African
company and that it can supply special meals only if the food is
available.
A parliamentary committee was told last week by Air Zimbabwe
officials that the company had run up debts of 50 million dollars.
It has not been able to pay salaries for six months and wants to
retrench half its workforce.
It also plans to close the numerous unprofitable routes imposed on
it by the former government of President Robert Mugabe.
Officials said the airline had been stricken by the new coalition
government's clampdown on state cash bail-outs.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story