Page 18 - World Airnews September 2020 Edition

NEWS

FLYING THE SPIRIT OF UBUNTU

By Heidi Gibson

otivated by a sense of ‘unbun-
Mtu’ and armed with years of
aviation experience and a credit card, one

South African expat has helped to bring
home hundreds of young teachers and
students stranded across the world – all
during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tertius Myburgh, from Johannesburg and

a commercial pilot who left South Africa

last year to take up a job in New Brunswick,
Canada found himself caught up in the mid- was just the start. In the end Maple Aviation Zimbabwean embassies in China.

dle of a problem about how to find a way to was going to organise a further four flights. “People don’t understand how difficult it

bring back fellow citizens when the world He continued to receive calls and requests is for Air Zimbabwe to do anything because

was busy shutting down airports, grounding from Asian embassies asking for assistance, of the sanctions. This is an airline that is

fleets and going into complete lockdown. either to get their citizens back or from South totally unappreciated. The perception is

“This all started when I was approached African embassies asking for help to get our that is not world class when I have to tell
to help by my former high school headmas- citizens stuck all over Asia - Vietnam, Cam- you that they are. The crew is phemonimal.

ter from Hoerskool Florida. He got in touch bodia, Maldives, Hong Kong and Singapore – Their flight ops and planning is second to

with me on Facebook and asked if I could home. He had found a way to cover his costs none. You have to think of the history of
help him, his sister and my former science with people travelling in and out. this airline. Has there ever been a crash?
teacher. They had all gone on a trip to “Those in Hong Kong and Singapore were He said he had leased the air craft
Myanmar and could not get back home.” allowed to travel to Malaysia and stay over because he wanted to be in control of the

“My first suggestion was to hire a private in transit – so our flights became like a taxi costs so every hour he would pay a certain

jet but that was totally unaffordable. So it service as not one of the countries had amount as he wanted to give the savings
started with the three of them and they numbers that could warrant a full flight , each back to the citizens who wanted to get out.

made contact with four more South Africans country had a few, it was a hop stop pick While the engine got fixed Myburgh had

also there and that was seven in total. So up – and that was how we did it. What I did to make a plan to look after his stranded

here I was faced with this problem or where at each location was to nominate a person passengers – all 120 of them. Again with the

am I going to find an aircraft and somehow to be an organiser. They had to get everyone help of the Zimbabwean diplomats he man-

put more people on the plane to make this together, registered, cleared and handle all aged to get them into a hotel at a good rate.

whole exercise more cost effective.” the logistics. You have to remember I have But them there was a problem with the

Myburgh went to work and started making no staff - I created the name Maple Aviation finances. “You have to understand this meant

contact with his aviation network and was as to help with the repatriation flights. Those that amount of R200 000 rand was going

able to negotiate a deal with Air Zimbabwe. He that helped I allowed to fly for free,” he said. through my credit card every week and after a

leased a Boeing 767, plus its pilots and its crew. few times the SA Reserve bank froze account.

Ironically it turned out to be the same 30-year- THE CHINA FLIGHT They thought I was laundering money.”
old plane that had been used by former Presi- It quickly became clear that the situation in “I did charge passengers anything from $1

dent Robert Mugabe from time to time. China was really bad for some. These were 100 per seat per person and if the person was

It was the beginning of the corona virus pan- teachers and students who had lost their not able to pay we made a plan and never
demic and people overseas were really hoping jobs, their visas had expired and in some left anyone behind. The aim was to assist at

the South African government was going to cases they had to give up their accommo- minimal cost and to get as many people out.

send their aircraft to pick them up. “I knew dation – they were destitute, sleeping in I would never have been able to do this with

there was no ways those seven in Myanmar the streets with no income. Myburgh said the help and assistance of the Zimbabwe

were ever going to be fetched. There were a eventually in mid-July a flight left with a full diplomatic counterparts in China. You have no

few repatriation flights from places like Wash- load of Thai nationals who wanted to get to idea of the red tape involved, the landing per-

ington but it took a while for those left behind Bangkok. From there the route was headed mits etc. In the end it is all about relationships.

to realise that SAA is not coming, “he said. to China to collect a group and return. Each time they sent a representative down to

So then Myburgh looked at the cruise lin- But the aircraft broke down in Bangkok. the airports to oversee everything to make

ers also stuck in Manila and in the Philippines There was an oil leak in the left engine - the sure that their citizens were handled correctly

and asked if they were keen to get involved. main shaft that drives the compress blades and they also looked after our South African

They told him that they needed to get all the inside the engine had to be sent for repair to citizens. That is the real unbuntu when fellow

South Africans and Zimbabweans working a registered Pratt and Whitney. That engine African countries step in to help each other.”

for them off as it was costing them money. A had to go from Harare, to Amsterdam, to “People ask why I did it. It was not to

cruise ship called ‘Sea Princess’ that had 160 Luxor, to Taipei and then back to Bangkok. make money. After the first it snowballed

South Africans and Zimbabweans on board On board was a group of 120 passengers and you feel compelled to carry on. It’s
agreed to send them home. The first repatri- that had been picked up from Guangzhou our human nature to try and assist for the

ation flight left Harare on its way to Manila – as the aircraft was not allowed to fly do- greater good. When you get a photo of a

with Myanmar as the fuel stop. mestically – the flight plan meant they had person or a thank you and you see them

“Of course we loaded the seven in there, to come out and then fly back in to Wuhan. back home and the joy of being with their

picked up the others and flew back to SA” At this point Myburgh heaps praise for families it puts it all into perspective. The

said Myburgh. Little did he know that this the help and assistance received by the real detail will have to go into a book.” Q
World Airnews | September 2020
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