Hence, the BSPZ
in Masvingo is illegal, and those who are collecting money from parents and
using it are doing so illegally, concluded the audit.
The lack of the
necessary checks and balances exposes BSPZ funds to serious abuse,
misappropriations, and manipulations, says the audit carried out by the
Director of Internal Audit in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education
between April and May 2025.
The BSPZ Fund
in Masvingo was used to buy furniture, laptops, and cell phones for managers,
which is not its purpose, according to the audit.
There are no
functional oversight committees for BSPZ, the audit revealed.
According to
the Public Finance Management Act read with Public Service Management (Treasury
Instructions), no Public Officer is allowed to collect money from a fund like
BSPZ unless BSPZ’s constitution is approved by Treasury and is tabled before
Parliament, and BSPZ shall also not be allowed to operate unless the two
conditions are met.
Efforts to get
a comment from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Moses
Mhike were futile. The Ministry of Finance could also not be reached for a
comment.
The audit done
between April 7 and May 2025 instructs that Mhike, among other things, make a
refund of US$1 435 for T and S claims she made from BSPZ for a three-day trip
to Chiredzi that she never made. The audit concludes that Mhike certified her
own claim form without involving officers. In her response, Mhike says she
doesn’t really remember when or how the claim arose and blames the Chief
Accountant for mixing up claims.
Mhike is
supposed to have made the trip with two school inspectors, who both said that
they did not undertake that trip with her. Mileage log sheets from ministry
vehicles also did not show that she undertook the trip.
The audit also
recommends that Mhike, who is currently facing corruption charges at Masvingo
Magistrates Court, be charged by the Ministry over an overclaim of US$260 for
the same trip.
“The
non-registration of the Provincial Office constitution renders it illegal
(BSPZ) for the province to collect and utilise funds from schools in terms of
the Public Finance Management Act,” reads part of the audit report.
The audit,
which is in the hands of Masvingo Mirror, slams Masvingo Provincial Financial
Director, Liniah Chinoda, for paying herself ZW$27,141 million from the
treasury plus US$898 from BSPZ relocation allowances, which none of the two
other directors transferred alongside her from the Ministry of Finance
received.
The report says
there is no evidence that such payments to her were either approved or normal
procedure was followed and the Public Service Commission to determine whether
Chinoda was entitled to the allowance. There were also no supporting documents
for the payments.
The auditors
also cautioned that such payments are not sustainable for Government if every
transfer was going to receive the allowances.
The audit also
accuses Chinoda of receiving excess payment of US$1 050 in the process and
advises that the amount be recovered. The audit condemns checks and balances at
Masvingo Province and calls for the introduction of mechanisms to avoid many
anomalies that were noted. It also warned that the anomalies would put the
Ministry of Education into disrepute.
The PED’s main
defence to the allegations is that there is bad blood between her and other
senior officers at Masvingo, including the chief accountant. She alleged that
the senior officers were trapping the two so that they could be charged for
misconduct.
Mhike also told
the audit team that the problem of not registering the BSPZ constitution with
Treasury and Parliament is not unique to Masvingo, but it affects all
provinces. She argued that she could not be blamed for a countrywide problem. Masvingo Mirror
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