Refugee aviation innovator dreams big

BY STEVE EPHRAEM

TONGOGARA Refugee Settlement is located in the dry, hot region of Chipinge, Zimbabwe, commonly known as Gowa (Lowveld). There are more than 15,000 biometrically registered refugees and asylum seekers in the settlement who come from the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Entering the settlement via the main administrative offices, one passes an irrigation scheme that is boasting of beans this winter. Travelling further, one passes by Tongogara Primary School towards the central business district. There, one witnesses a great deal of activity. Some are receiving food aid. Others are trading.

Some are running stores, be they tuckshops or grocery shops, bakeries or butcheries. There are others who provide services such as barber shops and hair salons. Of note are those offering metal work services. Among these is Claude Kankonde.

Claude is of Congolese origin and is a self-taught electronic engineer. With the help of an elderly man he calls Pastor, the duo has transformed a minibus into a kitchen and designed its top into a dining place. They have also designed a mobile food kiosk that is fitted with wheels.

But Kankonde has three other remarkable designs. First, he designed a model of a South African Airways aircraft. The model is already erected at one of the airports in South Africa. Secondly, he designed a life-size model of a beverage bottle of a product named Kambucha. The model was also erected on the manufacturer’s premises.

When this publication descended upon Tongogara Refugee Settlement recently, Kankonde was busy designing a new aircraft model crafted entirely from scrap materials in his modest workshop.

“This is Zimbabwe Airline 767. I use wire and aluminum in my work. I have decorated it for Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare. It will take me one year and some months to complete the job,” he said.

Without formal education in engineering or aviation, Claude taught himself through observation, experimentation and an unwavering belief in his own potential.

“I developed interest in engineering when I was a very young boy. This is a gift from God. I want to teach young people whether from Congo or other places, how to craft aeroplane models,” he added.

Even before its completion, Claude’s model is fully functional and powered by electricity. He intends to convert it to use battery systems. His ambitions stretch far beyond these creations. He envisions a future where he constructs full-sized aircraft capable of carrying passengers, a dream that would make history not just for Zimbabwe and Congo, but for the entire African continent.

Claude recognises that his ambitious vision requires support beyond his own determination. In a heartfelt appeal, he has called upon interested parties to partner with him. As Claude himself declares in his native Swahili, talent is often wasted due to lack of opportunity. His craft is a living testimony that being a refugee does not translate to being unable to become innovative.