This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
Published on November 23, 2019, a Tanzanian plane has been impounded in Canada, the country's Foreign Affairs Minister Palamagamba Kabudi has revealed.
The Bombardier Q400 plane was supposed to fly to Tanzania before the end of November, but it was instead seized by Canadian authorities at the request of a South African farmer, Hermanus Steyn.
Mr Steyn is demanding $33 million in compensation from the Tanzanian government, claiming the government seized his land back in the 1980s without fair compensation.
This is the second time Mr Steyn has demanded the seizure of a Tanzanian plane over compensation claims. In August, a South African court ordered the seizure of another Tanzania plane, but it was later released after a successful appeal by the Tanzanian government.
Prof Kabudi expressed concerns over what he claimed was a tendency of Canadian authorities to seize Tanzanian planes, citing a previous incident in 2017 where a plane was held in Canada due to a contractual dispute with a UK-based firm.
“We defeated him (Mr Steyn) in court in South Africa, he then appealed, but we won the case. This time he demanded that the Canadian authorities impound our Bombardier Q400 but we are ready for the (court) battle,” said the minister.
