Driver release: Harare’s Axcil Jefferies might only be 15-years old, yet he has achieved great things in his first year of international motorsport which is why Air Zimbabwe recently announced a sponsorship partnership with the young Harare scholar.
Competing in the highly competitive Formula BMW Pacific championship with the top flight Eurasia team, he has notched up two wins already to become Zimbabwe’s latest sporting ambassador.
Aside from his on track activities, he was also invited to spend a few days at BMW’s Formula One facility in Switzerland where he met the team and drivers. He particularly enjoyed an eye-opening tour through the factory where he was shown how things work behind the scenes.
With valued backing from Air Zimbabwe and Pioneer Corporation, he was also recently appointed as an official Childline Zimbabwe ambassador. “Having Zimbabwe’s national airline as a sponsor makes me proud to be Zimbabwean.”
His father, Suhail, also his manager, explained what it meant. “The fact that Axcil is competing in an official BMW motorsport series as a Zimbabwean shows the world that Zimbabwe is still a technologically advanced country.”
Prior to switching his attention to single seaters, Axcil won two successive karting championships in South Africa and also competed internationally where he won a round of the Rotax European Championship. Last year he also represented Zimbabwe at the World Finals in Italy.
Earlier this year Air Zimbabwe was in the news when Air Zimbabwe Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Dr. Peter Chikumba was voted Tourism Manager of the Year In The Public Sector for outstanding contribution to tourism development in 2008 at the Zimbabwe National Tourism Awards held in Bulawayo.
Dr Chikumba was recognized for his stewardship of the airline during one of the most turbulent times in aviation history, an era characterized by the global economic meltdown which has seen several airlines ground operations and falling passenger numbers.
Air Zimbabwe has an impeccable safety record and currently flies to: Beijing, China; Dar es Salam, Tanzania; Gaborone, Bostwana; London, England; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lusaka, Zambia; Lilongwe, Malawi; Lumbumbashi, DRC; Singapore.
The airline has a comprehensive technical and engineering base which holds approvals from civil aviation authorities of several countries. This enables Air Zimbabwe engineers to do third party work for both the domestic and external markets.
