More damning corruption by Kwekwe Polytechnic Principal revealed

Sources very close to the happenings at Kwekwe Polytechnic have revealed further damning corruption reports about college principal Mr Joyce Cephas Mbudzi, who doubles as acting director for standards development and quality assurance in the Higher Education Ministry.

Mbudzi is already muddled in a huge corruption graft involving the maintenance and management of the higher education examinations data base. Mbudzi is accused of having connived with one Francis Taivavashe to individually design, install, operationalise and manage the database which left the credibility of the Higher Education Examinations Council under serious threat. Under their deal only one person, Taivavashe carries the entire exams database on memory sticks, meaning he can leak exams and issue diplomas to anyone.

Reports coming through from those privy to Mbudzi's operations indicate that the principal is shrouded in further corruption in his administration of the college and the Ministry's examination department. The sources who are senior staff members in the institution indicate that Mbudzi runs the college as a dictator sidelining all staff members that must work with him so that he can make individual decisions without being questioned.

Mr Mbudzi is said to have for a long time resisted the appointment of Mr H S Maturure as substantive vice principal at the college so that he would run the college alone. Reports indicate that Mbudzi preferred to work with his relative a Roman Catholic Nun Sister Irene Mapuranga as acting Vice Principal who would not question him for his activities. Sister Mapuranga herself was once accused for treating ladies at the college with impunity deciding for them what to wear and not to wear going for lessons.

Some of the accusations against Mbudzi are that he and his team in the exams centre have been accepting bribes to issue diplomas to people some of who would not have set for the exams. According to the sources, Mbudzi swept under the carpet reports of bribery which came out during the November 2013 exam session.

"Some examiners were implicated in money for a pass or a "thigh" for a pass if the candidate was female. The implicated examiners were barred from participating in that session and no further action was taken to clear them," said the source.

Mr Mbudzi is also accused of corruptly awarding himself tenders to supply food stuffs to the college. According to the reports, Mbudzi is the sole supplier of farm produce to the college canteen. He supplies the produce in the name of one Timire Supplies. Timire Supplies is said to be a close associate of Mbudzi who was given a tender to supply eggs to the college on condition she allowed Mbudzi to supply fruits and vegetables using her name.

"To prove the deal, Timire lives at 6355 Link Drive, Golden Acres, KweKwe. Her business is eggs only and no vegetables. Mbudzi's farm is Lot 6 of Loezan and produces vegetables brought to the college," said the source.

"The produce is usually delivered by Mbudzi's son or his wife in a Mazda B16 registration ACB 0435. Payments are collected by the son or the wife, records at the college can testify to this," added the sources.

The sources further reveal that, Mbudzi set up a trap for some kitchen staff who exposed him as the supplier of vegetables and got them dismissed from work. Mbudzi is said to have teamed up with one of the staff members to convince the others to steal some food stuff from the chicken only to fall into waiting hands of security personnel who held them leading to their dismissal from work.

The sources indicate that there are a lot more corrupt activities by the Principal which they cannot reveal but urge authorities at the college or Ministry to set up a probe on the activities of the principal.

"These issues are only a tip of the iceberg. We have a lot of issues which need a proper probe at the college. Things are being done with impunity. There is need to probe this college so that confidence can be restored in all the staff," says the sources with the college.

Asked for a comment on Mr Mbudzi's operations at both the college and at the Ministry, Higher Education Secretary Dr Washington Mbizvo confessed ignorance at all the accusations raised against his subordinate.

"I am not too sure about what you are talking about. I am not conversant of what you are saying. Hexco is a board made up of experts and our institutions are run by experts, I don't know anything of what you are talking about," said Mbizvo.

Several corruption activities by high profile government officials have been revealed in the past few months and in all incidents the senior government officials responsible for the area where the corruption is exposed have always pleaded ignorance of the dirty goings on. President Mugabe has on several occasions warned that his government will send all corrupt persons to prison without fear or favour.