The tender was awarded to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, a
company owned by businessman Moses Mpofu, without following proper procedures.
The Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission arrested Never
Murerwa (62) and Jabulani Mukomazi (44), who work in the city’s Procurement
Management Unit, principal accountant Denford Zhungu (69) and engineering
technician Tawanda Mutenhabundo (29).
It is alleged that sometime in January this year, the City
of Harare embarked on a rehabilitation of street lights along Harare roads in
preparation for the SADC Summit to be held next month in the capital city.
The Herald reports that on January 29, the Procurement
Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) granted a few specific exemptions to
facilitate the expeditious completion of projects in time for the SADC Summit.
It emerged that on April 19, an evaluation committee, which
included Mukomazi, Zhungu and Mutenhabundo, sat and awarded Syvern Investments,
Exodus and Company, Ship Tracks and Onel Engineering the tender to rehabilitate
eight of the 10 lots of street lights. Due to lot limitation no company was
awarded more than two lots.
According to investigations, Juluka Enndo Joint Venture was
disqualified after failing to meet the tender requirements.
However, the four accused, working in connivance, proceeded
to unprocedurally award the tender of the remaining lots to Juluka Enndo Joint
Venture, disregarding the dictates of the general procurement provisions, which
require the procurement to be done through a competitive bidding process.
George Bango 
