The Minister of Transport, Biggie Matiza has remained mum
on the progress of investigations into the missing $4 million worth of
Government bitumen for the expansion of Harare – Beitbridge Highway that
disappeared from Chivhu last month.
This is at a time when fresh reports show that the bitumen
scams are wide spread with eight drums having been found at a house in Tshovani
in Chiredzi recently and ZINARA officials have been implicated.
Police sources have
also told The Mirror that more bitumen has been confirmed missing in Gweru and
Zvishavane and investigations have started. The Mirror could not establish the
quantities.
Police said the missing 22 000 litres from Chivhu was an
inside job. Bitumen currently has a ready and big market as the Government of
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has embarked on road construction projects that
run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Efforts to get Matiza to update the nation on what is
exactly happening has been futile.
Two weeks ago he gave The Mirror time to call at which he
said he would then have a Police report. However, when The Mirror called him he
said the report was not yet there.
This week he asked The Mirror to call him on
Wednesday but when the paper did, he said that he was leaving the country for
Botswana and gave the newspaper another date to call.
The bitumen scams have shocked the nation especially as
they take place at a time when the country’s road system has completely
collapsed thereby causing countless fatal accidents.
“I don’t have the Police report yet, you can call me on
Wednesday when I get it,” said Matiza.
The Mirror has gathered that Police is investigating the
case that eight drums of bitumen found
in Tshovani and those questioned were ZINARA bosses. It is suspected that the
drums were stolen from a department of roads construction site at Buffalo
Range.
Efforts to get a comment from ZINARA spokesperson,
Augustine Moyo were fruitless as his phone went unanswered. Masvingor Mirror
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