THE Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) could
have lost US$5,2 million in a murky deal which was supposed to see a
‘controversial third party’ earn a US$5 million kickback as a condition for a
US$150 million loan from a local bank, fresh details show.
This startling revelation is contained in a hard-hitting
letter dated 20 June 2019, written by suspended Zinara chief executive officer,
Engineer Nancy Masiyiwa-Chamisa to the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the
Office of the President and Cabinet chair, Mr Tabani Mpofu.
Mr Mpofu confirmed to The Sunday Mail receiving the dossier
but declined to discuss its finer details. “We referred the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption
Commission (Zacc) for further investigations. Other Government institutions
with a direct interest have also been notified,” he said.
The suspended Zinara boss declined to comment. The fresh
scandal comes against a backdrop of a US$70 million looting frenzy at the same
parastatal, which was exposed by a Grant Thornton forensic audit report.
In a confidential document gleaned by The Sunday Mail, Eng
Masiyiwa-Chamisa alleges being kicked out of the parastatal for resisting a
scandalous deal which was going to prejudice Zinara of US$5,2 million.
She narrates that how a fortnight before her suspension she
had written to the then Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development
Dr Jorum Gumbo objecting to the deal.
Dr Gumbo is now the Minister of State for Presidential
Affairs in charge of Implementation and Monitoring after being moved from the
ministry last month.
Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa claims that Zinara secured a US$150
million infrastructure loan from ZB Bank, on condition the parastatal entered
into a consultancy agreement with Neo Africa – a South African based company.
Neo Africa was to be paid 3,5 percent of the total
infrastructure loan, which translates to around US$5,2 million.
A background check on Neo Africa showed that the South
African based firm, which specialises in security and VIP protection, exclusive
car hire and chauffeur, IT and consulting services, was once implicated in a
2012 Corruption Watch report over a R3 million bribe scandal in a Johannesburg
tender scandal.
Neo Africa bosses were recorded talking about R3million
bribe for South African public officials to influence the outcome of a tender
bidding.
However, Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa, in the US$150 million deal
insists she; “resisted the recommendation on the basis that there was no
justification of involvement for a third party in a contractual agreement
between two parties, which is Zinara – the borrower – and ZB Bank, the lender,”
As the battle for the release of the US$5,2 million to the
third party ensued, a meeting was then convened at the Transport and
Infrastructural Development Ministry offices which was chaired by the then
ministry Permanent Secretary Engineer George Mlilo.
The Neo Africa issue was tabled in the presence of ZB Bank
representatives.
As pressure mounted for the deal to be signed off, the
Zinara boss then wrote to Dr Gumbo outlining that the Neo Africa deal was
unjustified as this was wanton abuse of public funds.
“However, two weeks after writing this letter, the board
meeting… was convened and its outcome was my suspension from duty.
“In my view, my suspension was an act of corruption
calculated to facilitate the Neo Africa deal or as a punishment for resisting
it.”
The whistle-blowing dossier also alleges that Dr Gumbo
could have interfered in the disciplinary cases against Messrs Precious Murove
(human resources and administration director), Peter Boterere (administration
manager), Simon Taranhike (finance manager) and Shadreck Matengabadza (finance
manager).
The Zinara managers were suspended on 10 July 2017, on
various allegations bordering on flouting of tender procedures.Dr Gumbo is said
to have called for an urgent meeting to discuss the suspensions.
Prior to the meeting, the then acting board chair Mr
Wilfred Ramwi wrote to the Zinara board citing weaknesses in the cases of the
suspended executives.
The board then held two urgent meetings – on 4 and 18
August 2017 to discuss issues which had been raised by the then transport
minister.
Responding to the allegations contained in the dossier
yesterday, Dr Gumbo said the suspended Zinara boss was just looking for someone
to blame.
“I don’t know anything about these issues. She is fighting
someone who fought for her to get benefits while she is still on suspension
because the board had repossessed all Zinara assets in her possession.
“What I know is that Zinara was looking for money locally
to dualise roads and they approached ZB and Cabs banks.
“We then had a meeting at a local hotel where we were
looking at how we could allocate roads for the dualisation projects.
Unfortunately, she has picked me for a fight yet without a cause.”
The board invited the four managers to make presentations
on their cases in the absence of the CEO who is an ex-officio board member.
Mr Ramwi wrote to Dr Gumbo, on 23 August 2017 recommending
lifting of suspensions.
However, on 30 August 2017, the then permanent secretary in
the parent ministry Ambassador Dr Machivenyika Mapuranga communicated to the
then Zinara corporate secretary Mrs Mathlene Mujokoro expressing astonishment
to the withdrawal of the case without his knowledge.
Amb Mapuranga’s letter reads; “I am even more astonished
because you averred that a copy of the resolution was ‘requested by the office
of the Honorable Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development’, for
reasons I was not privy to. Nevertheless, the requested copy was not sent to
the Honorable Minister’s office but to me. Since the letter was addressed to
me, I take the liberty to comment on the resolution.
“It seems to me that ‘both criminal and labour cases’ had
been instituted against the four employees because there were prima facie
reasons for so doing.
“Now we are told that the cases have been withdrawn and we
are not furnished with the reasons why this has been done. One would have
expected such cases to run through the entire process to a definitive
conclusion of guilty or not guilty.”
Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa alleged that the four Zinara bosses
could have been reinstated due to protection offered by Dr Gumbo.
Zinara board chair Engineer Michael Madanha could not
comment yesterday as he was said to be busy.
He did not respond to question sent via SMS. Engineer Mlilo told The Sunday Mail yesterday that his
office resisted the payment of US$5,2 million to Neo Africa because procurement
procedures were flouted.
“The task to raise funds was given to ZB bank through
normal Government procedures. We resisted Neo Africa because the process of how
the company came in and was selected, was not clear. Whether Eng
Masiyiwa-Chamisa was fired over that, I don’t know,” he said.
The Zinara dossier also expose an alleged relationship
between high-level Government officials, company executives and lawyers at
Zinara.
“A point to note is that Retired Justice Chinhengo (who was
supposed to chair Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa hearing) is Mr Simon Taranhike, Zinara
finance director’s brother-in-law and Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba is a
nephew of former Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Dr Jorum
Gumbo and equally Magwaliba is an advocate hence he could not represent Zinara
as its lawyer but he proceeded to act on behalf of Zinara despite this apparent
conflict.”
Adv Magwaliba was engaged by Zinara to negotiate a
severance package with Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa, which she turned down.
The Zinara boss is on suspension over allegations of gross
incompetence, abuse of authority and fraud over a CBZ bank loan.
Her lawyers, Mtetwa and Nyambirai denied the allegations
against Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa, saying the charges have no merit. Sunday Mail
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