THE Information Communication Technology (ICT)
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee chaired by Kuwadzana East MP Charlton Hwende
yesterday expressed dismay over the conduct of ICT ministry secretary Sam
Kundishora, who they felt was avoiding appearing before their committee to
speak on the NetOne forensic audit.
The 2016 forensic audit revealed rot at NetOne, wherein
among other issues a company called Gemalto was paid nearly US$6 million for
the supply of One Wallet mobile money platform, yet during its existence, the
system only generated US$51 000 for NetOne. The network service provider was
also said to have made shady payments totalling US$32 million to several firms
without documentation.
A letter that Hwende read yesterday before the committee
showed that Kundishora was invited to appear before Parliament on two
occasions, that is July 15 and July 29, but he failed to avail himself.
Failure to appear before a Parliamentary Portfolio
Committee might constitute contempt of Parliament charges.
It appears that on August 26, Kundishona wrote to the
committee requesting that the meeting with the ICT committee be postponed to
yesterday, but he still failed to turn up amid reports that he had travelled
together with the ICT minister Kazembe Kazembe to Japan.
But the NetOne board, which Kazembe and Kundishora were
supposed to appear with before the ICT committee, yesterday availed themselves
to Parliament. They were turned away because the committee wanted to grill them
together with the minister.
“I am not happy with what is happening pertaining to the
conduct of the ICT secretary because Kundishora could have sent an acting
secretary to represent him before the committee,” Hwende said.
“The matters that we want them to answer to are not matters
that are sub judice to do with issues of Megawatt and TelOne. The committee
only seeks to get answers on issues pertaining to the mandate of NetOne such as
procurement, payment systems, salaries and allowances, acquisition of base
stations, taxation of base stations, and others,” he said. Newsday
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