NEW MINISTER RINGS CHANGES AT ZINARA

New Transport minister Joel Biggie Matiza is ringing changes at the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara), going against advice he got from his predecessor Joram Gumbo who is now heading the Energy ministry.

While Gumbo had defended the Zinara board led by Wilfred Ramwi, which stands accused of refusing to act on a litany of allegations contained in an audit report by Grant Thornton, Matiza went on to fire the board regardless.

Gumbo had also argued that far from concealing the alleged rot at Zinara, the period covered by the audit was before the appointment of the Ramwi-led board.


Matiza’s deputy, Fortune Chasi, who was tasked by the Transport minister to clean up the mess at Zinara told the Daily News that while Gumbo was entitled to his opinion, his boss had the final say on issues under his portfolio.

“It is not true that the audit only focused on the previous board led by Albert Mugabe because its mandate was not limited to that so it was realised in the report  that the new board members had their own issues,” Chasi said.

Asked if the two ministers had a proper hand-over, take-over, Chasi said while that was done, Matiza still has the right to use his discretionary powers.

“That (hand-over and take-over) does not mean that the minister is no longer independent to see things his own way and take necessary decisions that we feel will make us achieve the vision of the president to ensure efficiency in these parastatals as well as good  corporate governance,” Chasi said.

Gumbo stands accused of trying to protect a certain clique of executives at Zinara from being suspended while persecuting its chief executive officer, Nancy Masiyiwa, whose future at the parastatal hangs in the balance.

The fired board is now under fire for dropping charges against senior management at Zinara who had been suspended by Masiyiwa namely Simon Taranhike, Precious Murove, Peter Boterere and Shadreck Mutengabadza who are accused of sourcing foreign currency on the black market without approval.




 The board also allegedly refused to act on the damaging audit report. Daily News

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