ZETDC is a subsidiary of Zesa. he trio of ZETDC southern
region manager, Engineer King Dube; finance manager Willard Kunaka and
procurement officer Noel Manjoro were arrested by police working with the
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigation team.
Dube, in his separate case, is accused of allegedly taking
a ZETDC contract worker and using him at his house when he was not entitled to
have a gardener — a development that saw the company being prejudiced of US$17
568,25.
In his second case, Dube, charged together with Kunaka and
Manjoro, allegedly defrauded the company of US$62 635,97 by showing favour to
one company which had not won a tender for a required job.
First to appear before Gweru provincial magistrate Mr Edwin
Marecha facing criminal abuse of duty as a public officer was Dube.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded out of
custody on $20 000 bail to April 2 for trial.
It is the State’s case that from January 2013 to February
2017, Dube allegedly took a ZETDC contract worker Andrew Homa to work as a
gardener at his residence in Gweru.
Homa, the court heard, had signed a contract with ZETDC as
a line worker and on ZETDC pay roll before being made to work as a gardener.
During the period, Homa earned US$17 568, 25.
The court heard that Dube’s contract of employment did not
allow him to have a domestic worker being paid by ZETDC, therefore, he
unlawfully and intentionally did what was contrary to or inconsistent with his
duty as a public officer by showing favour to himself.
Dube then appeared together with Kunaka and Manjoro before
the same court where the trio faced one count of criminal abuse of duty as
public officers. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Mr Marecha remanded them out of custody on $20 000 bail
each to April 2 for trial. It is the State’s case that on April 17, 2018, ZETDC
allegedly intended to find a supplier to do supply and fitting of cabinets and
partitioning of offices for general managers, human resources and
administration manager, engineering manager and finance manager in Gweru.
The State heard that the nature of the job cost US$33 468
which exceeded the US$10 000 limit requiring to go through tender processes, a
requirement under the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro, allegedly acting in connivance,
decided to split the job to avoid going to tender.
On April 17, 2018, the accused persons allegedly divided
the scope of work as follows, general manager’s office US$9 938, human resources
and administration manager’s office US$6 710, engineering manager’s office US$9
999, finance manager’s office US$6 830.
The court heard that the split was allegedly done to ensure
that each of the original orders were below US$10 000. The original orders were
done on the same date and works were allegedly done on the same premises
meaning the splitting was intentional.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro, the court heard then allegedly
called for quotations from Ndaftech Investments (Pvt) Limited, Premcraft (Pvt)
Limited, Herbets Construction (Pvt) Limited and Creative Systems (Pvt) Limited.
On all the four occasions, the court heard that Ndaftech
(Pvt) Limited won using a low bid but ZEDTC went on to amend orders of
additional services which exceeded the original value by 50 percent of the
original amounts.
After the amendments, the court heard that the cumulative
cost of all the jobs was US$62 635,97.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro’s responsibility was allegedly to
make sure that proper procedures were followed before awarding a contract
unlawfully and intentionally which was contrary or inconsistent with their
duties as public officers by showing favour to Ndaftech Investments (Pvt)
Limited.
Ms Wadzanayi Shayanewako appeared for the State in both
matters. Chronicle
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