DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Palamagamba Kabudi announced on Saturday that a new Bombardier Q400 aircraft bought by the government has been seized in Canada.
"The plane was supposed to be flown to Tanzania before the end of this month," Kabudi told President John Magufuli at Chamwino State House in the capital Dodoma.
Kabudi said at an event televised live by the national broadcaster Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation that the plane was impounded after a South African farmer, Hermanus Steyn, had asked the Canadian authorities to impound the plane, pending a court case from which he is demanding the Tanzanian government to pay him 33 million U.S. dollars.
The South African farmer is demanding the money as a compensation following the Tanzanian government's decision to seize his land back in 1980s.
This is the second time that the South African farmer has demanded the seizure of Tanzania's planes over compensation claims.
In August, a South Africa court ordered the seizure of an Airbus 220-300 aircraft of Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) following a request from the farmer.
However, the plane was released following a successful appeal by the Tanzanian government.
Last month the east African nation delivered a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bringing to eight the number of new aircraft delivered to Tanzania since John Magufuli took office in November 2015 and began reviving the loss-making ATCL.
Magufuli has personally taken charge of the revival of the state carrier, with his government spending millions of dollars purchasing new planes.
Magufuli's government hopes that a more efficient national airline will help boost tourism, the main foreign exchange earner in Tanzania's economy.
