Own Correspondent|Deputy Agriculture Minister Vangelis Haritatos has told how an Air Zimbabwe travelling from Bulawayo to Harare was involved in a horrific mid air scare when it flew into a fleet of flying birds shortly after take off from Bulawayo.

The Minister told his debacle in the aging aircraft in a Facebook post on Friday congratulating the flight captain and his crew for saving their lives.

Wrote the Minister:

Well done Captain Chiwara and crew of Air Zimbabwe

We have just returned from an amazing, eye opening, and successful trip to the ZITF in Bulawayo. As our plane took off from Bulawayo tonight, we experienced bird strikes to the left engine which caused a bit of a fireworks show. We were all visibly shaken as blowing sounds and sparks came from the affected engine on impact, but the pilot Captain Chiwara and his crew were true professionals. He waited a few minutes and then announced to us that we had just hit several birds known as a bird strike, which is something that does indeed happen, but that he had assessed the situation and that the plane was safe and that we would continue our journey back to Harare. He reassured all passengers again that we were in safe hands. On successful landing the entire plane broke into applause for the Captain and his crew.
I could not resist but to tell the air hostess, as we walked off the plane, that I was grateful to Captain Chiwara and his Air Zimbabwe crew, and that I owed him a farm! The Zimbabwe Land Commission better hurry up with the land audit so that I can fulfill my promise!!!