A FRESH scandal has rocked the National Social Security
Association (NSSA) after the entity purchased top-of-the-range vehicles worth
US$1.2 million from a company that had lost the tender, Zim Morning Post can
report.
This development comes hot-on-the-heels of the forensic
audit that torched a storm and saw several high profile arrests.
The entity’s management is alleged to have bypassed the
Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ)’s regulations by awarding a
company that had initially lost the tender but had finished way down the
pecking order with the top bids being disqualified for allegedly failing to be
compliant.
Insiders allege that two companies, Amtec Motors and Croco
Motors, had initially won the tender to supply the vehicles.
However, NSSA management in the procurement department
reversed the process and gave it to Autoworld Zimbabwe which had lost the
tender. This was a complete negation of tender procedures.
“The companies that had won the tender were changed through
the direct procurement that they did. PRAZ procurement regulations were
bypassed and NSSA handpicked Autoworld Zimbabwe to supply the vehicles,” an
impeccable source told the Zim Morning Post.
“The original tender was won by Amtec, with a bigger lot
and only six vehicles were supposed to come from Croco Motors, but that was
changed by the top management,” added the insider.
Documents seen by Zim Morning Post show that 31
top-of-the-range vehicles were recently purchased by NSSA for its top
management.
The records show that the vehicles were purchased for US$40
000 which is equivalent to ZWL2.720 million (official bank rate).
The vehicles were authorised by the NSSA Board and acting
general manager Authur Manase whose contract was supposed to have expired in
June.
In an interview with the Zim Morning Post Nssa Marketing
and Communications Executive Tendai Mutsekwa confirmed his organisation
acquired a new fleet of vehicles but still maintained that the procurement was
above board.
“NSSA’s current motor vehicle fleet is antiquated and very
expensive to maintain. Constant breakdowns are derailing the efficient
execution of the NSSA mandate,” Mutsekwa said.
“It was critical to replace the fleet urgently given the
constant price hikes as a result of inflation. The NSSA board approved the
budget for vehicle replacements early 2019.”
“Due process was followed in purchasing the vehicles,
including following all the PRAZ procedures,” Mutsekwa continued.
Upon being asked why the company that won the tender was
sidelined in favour of Autoworld, Mutsekwa said: “One of the bidders that
initially won the tender changed its prices by over 80% when the bids were
still valid, and in terms of the law NSSA proceeded to award the next compliant
bidders for each lot in line with Section 55 of the Public Procurement and
Disposal of Public Asses (PPDPA) Act (Chapter 22:23).“
On being asked why the company that come second at tender
was also left out Mutsekwa said: “The next compliant bidders failed to confirm
their bids and NSSA proceeded by way of Section 42 of the Act.”
However, insiders dismissed Mutsekwa’s explanations saying
Autoworld was chosen because the company had agreed to cut deals with the
management.
“This was deliberately done because other companies refused
to play ball,” an impeccable source told Zim Morning Post.
Insiders also said the Nssa Acting general manager Authur
Manase has been operating without a contract since his term had expired but
Mutsekwa refuted the allegations saying the board renewed the contract in June.
“The extension will enable the Board to complete its
targeted activities for the transformation of NSSA. Manase will act in this
role until the Board completes all the processes that it has so far initiated,”
Mutsekwa said.
Insiders who spoke with Zim Morning Post said Manase was
set to receive a Range Rover any time soon although he did not have a contract.
The fresh scandal comes at a time NSSA has failed to give a
sustainable increments to pensioners who cry foul that their meagre payouts are
below the poverty-datum line, leaving them languishing in poverty.
Zimbabwe’s national social security agency has in recent
past been dogged by gross mismanagement of funds and imprudent investment
decisions that have prejudiced thousands of pensioners. Zim Morning Post
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