News / National
Muchechetere speaks out
07 May 2014 at 10:48hrs | Views
Richard Chidza
Media Information and Broadcasting Services minister Jonathan Moyo "should carry the cross" and shoulder the blame for the mess at the public broadcaster ZBC Holdings, suspended chief executive officer Happison Muchechetere said Tuesday.
Since the explosion of the scandal at the public broadcaster late last year, Muchechetere has remained mum on the issue but spoke to The Zimbabwe Mail where he also declared that his wife was never on the ZBC payroll as reported in the media.
Muchechetere and part of his management were pushed out of the ZBC along with the board, then led by Cuthbert Dube, who also served as chief executive officer of health insurer, the Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) to allow for investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of office levelled against them.
The former ZBC chief was allegedly taking home a staggering $44 000 in salaries and perks at a time when the corporation was failing to pay its employees.
"I am very clean and I hope the audit that is being conducted, if done professionally, will exonerate me of any wrong doing. ZBC has a historical background that affects the present and the future," said Muchechetere.
Muchechetere said the genesis of the ZBC's troubles can be traced back to Moyo's unbundling exercise at the turn of the century when he was part of President Robert Mugabe's then ‘war cabinet'.
"Before he blames anyone, Moyo should carry his crosses. He should tell people that he is to blame for the chaos at the ZBC, particularly given the structures he set up in his first stint as minister around 2001 when he commercialised the corporation.
"He created 10 companies that all had chief executive officers, middle management and lower management, as well as eight-member boards plus full staff compliments. Now you can imagine how much the 80 board members were drawing from the ZBC at a time when advertising was dwindling due to company closures and Moyo's decision to order a ban on adverts from some companies," the ZBC suspended chief said.
He said Moyo had ordered a ban on all adverts from mobile telecommunications giant Econet Wireless "because they had problems with government at the time".
He said some of the companies formed during the unbundling exercise folded up putting more strain on ZBC because the corporation had to pay packages to the retrenched workers.
"The companies that Moyo created, like On Air Systems, an engineering firm that folded and the executives had to be paid their packages, and in the case of some people like Alan Chiweshe, the then Radio Zimbabwe chief executive officer and now the acting chief executive officer at ZBC, he was paid all his dues. And when we re-bundled he was re-employed after getting all benefits," he said. No comment could be obtained from Moyo as his secretary referred this reporter to deputy minister, Supa Mandiwanzira who, however, said he was not in a position to comment on the issues raised. Moyo's cellphone also rang unanswered.
Commenting on his alleged mega salary, Muchechetere said: "I was getting $15 000 before tax and I wonder what kind of accounting would then allow someone to create figures and add the wages of maids and security personnel onto my salary. Should we add the costs of security that ministers enjoy onto their salaries? I think it is sensationalisation and nothing more," he said.
Asked if his wife was on the ZBC payroll, Muchechetere flatly denied the claims.
"It is a lie that my wife was ever an employee of the ZBC or that she was on the broadcaster's payroll. There have also been reports that I bought the then Information minister Webster Shamu (now Courier Services minister) a car similar to mine or that his wife was also on the payroll.
"The only time my wife benefited anything from ZBC was when we went to Victoria Falls along with all other managers. Our wives were catered for as per our contracts which allowed us to travel with spouses on paid holidays and I only went on holiday twice over the time I was chief executive officer," said Muchechetere.
Media Information and Broadcasting Services minister Jonathan Moyo "should carry the cross" and shoulder the blame for the mess at the public broadcaster ZBC Holdings, suspended chief executive officer Happison Muchechetere said Tuesday.
Since the explosion of the scandal at the public broadcaster late last year, Muchechetere has remained mum on the issue but spoke to The Zimbabwe Mail where he also declared that his wife was never on the ZBC payroll as reported in the media.
Muchechetere and part of his management were pushed out of the ZBC along with the board, then led by Cuthbert Dube, who also served as chief executive officer of health insurer, the Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) to allow for investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of office levelled against them.
The former ZBC chief was allegedly taking home a staggering $44 000 in salaries and perks at a time when the corporation was failing to pay its employees.
"I am very clean and I hope the audit that is being conducted, if done professionally, will exonerate me of any wrong doing. ZBC has a historical background that affects the present and the future," said Muchechetere.
Muchechetere said the genesis of the ZBC's troubles can be traced back to Moyo's unbundling exercise at the turn of the century when he was part of President Robert Mugabe's then ‘war cabinet'.
"Before he blames anyone, Moyo should carry his crosses. He should tell people that he is to blame for the chaos at the ZBC, particularly given the structures he set up in his first stint as minister around 2001 when he commercialised the corporation.
"He created 10 companies that all had chief executive officers, middle management and lower management, as well as eight-member boards plus full staff compliments. Now you can imagine how much the 80 board members were drawing from the ZBC at a time when advertising was dwindling due to company closures and Moyo's decision to order a ban on adverts from some companies," the ZBC suspended chief said.
He said Moyo had ordered a ban on all adverts from mobile telecommunications giant Econet Wireless "because they had problems with government at the time".
He said some of the companies formed during the unbundling exercise folded up putting more strain on ZBC because the corporation had to pay packages to the retrenched workers.
"The companies that Moyo created, like On Air Systems, an engineering firm that folded and the executives had to be paid their packages, and in the case of some people like Alan Chiweshe, the then Radio Zimbabwe chief executive officer and now the acting chief executive officer at ZBC, he was paid all his dues. And when we re-bundled he was re-employed after getting all benefits," he said. No comment could be obtained from Moyo as his secretary referred this reporter to deputy minister, Supa Mandiwanzira who, however, said he was not in a position to comment on the issues raised. Moyo's cellphone also rang unanswered.
Commenting on his alleged mega salary, Muchechetere said: "I was getting $15 000 before tax and I wonder what kind of accounting would then allow someone to create figures and add the wages of maids and security personnel onto my salary. Should we add the costs of security that ministers enjoy onto their salaries? I think it is sensationalisation and nothing more," he said.
Asked if his wife was on the ZBC payroll, Muchechetere flatly denied the claims.
"It is a lie that my wife was ever an employee of the ZBC or that she was on the broadcaster's payroll. There have also been reports that I bought the then Information minister Webster Shamu (now Courier Services minister) a car similar to mine or that his wife was also on the payroll.
"The only time my wife benefited anything from ZBC was when we went to Victoria Falls along with all other managers. Our wives were catered for as per our contracts which allowed us to travel with spouses on paid holidays and I only went on holiday twice over the time I was chief executive officer," said Muchechetere.
Source - Zim Mail
