News / National
Paul Mangwana in tender saga
03 Sep 2015 at 11:59hrs | Views
FORMER Cabinet minister, Paul Mangwana, has been caught up in a tender storm after his law firm was engaged by several municipalities to collect outstanding debts owed by ratepayers under unclear circumstances.
A former Member of Parliament for Chivi who co-chaired the Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) that crafted the new Constitution, Mangwana's legal practice was given the mandate to recover money owed by residents of Harare, Karoi and Kadoma in water and rates.
Harare alone is owed over US$350 million while residents of Karoi are indebted to the tune of over US$2 million. As of March 2014, Kadoma was owed in excess of US$8 million. The city fathers of Kadoma have recovered nearly US$3 million, while efforts are underway in Harare and Karoi to recover the debt.
Mangwana Legal Practitioners is currently in the process of distributing letters of demand to residents in Harare and Karoi. The practice is said to be charging US$4 for every letter delivered.
Residents in the three cities have raised eyebrows over the manner in which the law firm was roped in to recover the debts.
It is not clear as yet whether the city fathers in the three municipalities went to tender before settling on the law firm.
Minutes of a full council meeting held in Karoi seem to suggest that Mangwana could have canvassed for the job. He was introduced to councillors on May 26, 2015 at a finance and investments committee meeting during which he briefly outlined his resume (which dates back to 1986), experience and business. He also presented his charges, after which he left the meeting.
Councillors present immediately questioned Mangwana's involvement in debt collection when there was another law firm, Masawi and Partners, which had already been engaged by the municipality to do the same. They also expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the whole deal.
Mangwana once worked as the town's legal advisor.
Mangwana this week refused to say whether his company had won the mandate through tender citing professional reasons.
"I am working as a professional and that means I cannot disclose much about my clients otherwise I can be struck off the register by the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) for breaching lawyer client confidentiality principal," he said.
"I am sorry because I am not at liberty to talk to the media about this. I am acting as a professional and not a politician. The truth of the matter is that I am working with many local authorities in the country".
The LSZ's primary function is to promote study of the law; control the admission of new members and regulate the profession in respect of continuing training, discipline and trust accounts.
A former Member of Parliament for Chivi who co-chaired the Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) that crafted the new Constitution, Mangwana's legal practice was given the mandate to recover money owed by residents of Harare, Karoi and Kadoma in water and rates.
Harare alone is owed over US$350 million while residents of Karoi are indebted to the tune of over US$2 million. As of March 2014, Kadoma was owed in excess of US$8 million. The city fathers of Kadoma have recovered nearly US$3 million, while efforts are underway in Harare and Karoi to recover the debt.
Mangwana Legal Practitioners is currently in the process of distributing letters of demand to residents in Harare and Karoi. The practice is said to be charging US$4 for every letter delivered.
Residents in the three cities have raised eyebrows over the manner in which the law firm was roped in to recover the debts.
It is not clear as yet whether the city fathers in the three municipalities went to tender before settling on the law firm.
Councillors present immediately questioned Mangwana's involvement in debt collection when there was another law firm, Masawi and Partners, which had already been engaged by the municipality to do the same. They also expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the whole deal.
Mangwana once worked as the town's legal advisor.
Mangwana this week refused to say whether his company had won the mandate through tender citing professional reasons.
"I am working as a professional and that means I cannot disclose much about my clients otherwise I can be struck off the register by the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) for breaching lawyer client confidentiality principal," he said.
"I am sorry because I am not at liberty to talk to the media about this. I am acting as a professional and not a politician. The truth of the matter is that I am working with many local authorities in the country".
The LSZ's primary function is to promote study of the law; control the admission of new members and regulate the profession in respect of continuing training, discipline and trust accounts.
Source - fingaz
