Parastatals ordered to submit payrolls

Transport minister, Obert Mpofu, has given all state parastatals falling under his ministry a two day ultimatum to furnish him with their payrolls.
This came as the minister ordered Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) to submit daily reports of toll gate collections and vehicle licensing fees.
"I expect full disclosure of all remuneration that you receive," Mpofu told journalists yesterday after meeting parastatals chief executive officers. 
"The concept of parallel payrolls if it has occurred in any of your parastatals must be fully disclosed to my office within the next 48 hours with all the bank details, the length of period this has happened and the list of beneficiaries
"Failure to disclose will be tantamount to insubordination which my ministry does not tolerate."
Mpofu demanded that chief executives favour him with regular operational reports so that he keeps abreast with developments in the parastatals.
He warned he will descend heavily on Zinara as there were complaints of corruption on toll gate fees.
"As for Zinara, with immediate effect, you are to submit a daily report on your collections from toll gates and vehicle licensing fees. The other collections will then be done monthly through management reports."
Mpofu said he was mulling introducing more toll gates after Cabinet gave him a directive to look at establishing toll gates in higher yielding areas.
"The cabinet directed me to review the toll gates fees. Also, it instructed me to concentrate on areas that would yield higher returns like the periphery of cities. We are looking at introducing toll gates on roads such as Harare-Norton, Harare-Chitungwiza and Bulawayo-Nyamandlovu," he said.
Asked to clarify what the review entailed, the minister said: "We are looking at a lot of factors. Motorists are prepared to pay as long as they know that the money is being put to good use. We are also looking for a proper accountability system. This can be achieved through proper tolling facilities."
The chief executive officers complained that some board members used their political muscle to influence parastatals' operations, the minister told journalists.
Mpofu said he would deal with this by appointing professionals to the boards.
Meanwhile, Mpofu said the struggling National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) was looking for a South African investor.
"NRZ is looking for serious investors. Recently a team was dispatched to South Africa and met with the DBSA (Development Bank of Southern Africa) and other potential investors. I can assure you that in short space of time, NRZ will court an investor," he said.
Following the media revelations that parastatals bosses were earning obscene salaries at a time the State firms were underperforming, Mpofu has been cracking the whip on parastatals which fall under him.
Last week, the minister fired boards at Air Zimbabwe, Zinara, Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) for incompetence.