SAA pilot told to remove belt, so he removes his pants

An SAA pilot was arrested when he protested against security procedures at Harare International Airport.

According to Zimbabwe's The Herald website, a Captain W van Ginkel was detained after stripping down to his underwear when asked to remove his belt during a security clearance precaution on Tuesday.

"He [Ginkel] simply undressed at the security checkpoint. He was arrested for public indecency. He paid a fine but in terms of aviation regulations we could not allow him to fly the aircraft anymore after that incident," CEO of Zimbabwe's Civil Aviation Authority David Chawota was quoted as saying.

Flight SAA 025 was delayed five hours due to the incident.

"The flight was supposed to leave Harare at 7.20am but had to be delayed until 1pm to allow another crew from South Africa to come to Harare to fly the plane," Chawota reportedly said.

Zimbabwe's authorities had apparently reported the situation to SAA, which could not immediately be reached for comment by Sapa.