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S. Africa Seized Air Tanzania Plane Over Land Compensation Claim

S. Africa Seized Air Tanzania Plane Over Land Compensation Claim

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s seizure of an Air Tanzania aircraft last week was linked to a land compensation claim that dates back to the 1980s, the East African nation’s government said.

The case doesn’t involve the airline and is part of a wider dispute between Tanzania and Hermanus Steyn, a South African investor, Hassan Abbasi, a spokesman for the Tanzanian government, said in a Twitter post. Lawyers are studying the South African court order that authorized the seizure before deciding how to respond, Abbasi said.

READ: Air Tanzania Plane Impounded in South Africa

The state-owned airline launched its maiden flight to South Africa’s business capital Johannesburg in June to bolster relations between the two countries.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ken Karuri in Dar es Salaam at kkaruri@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Malingha at dmalingha@bloomberg.net, Eric Ombok, John Bowker

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