News / National
3 Zesa senior managers arrested
13 Mar 2021 at 01:42hrs | Views
THREE Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution (ZETDC) senior managers from the southern region have been arrested for alleged criminal abuse of office as public officers. ZETDC is a subsidiary of Zesa.
The trio of ZETDC southern region manager, Engineer King Dube; finance manager Willard Kunaka and procurement officer Noel Manjoro were arrested by police working with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigation team.
Dube, in his separate case, is accused of allegedly taking a ZETDC contract worker and using him at his house when he was not entitled to have a gardener - a development that saw the company being prejudiced of US$17 568,25.
In his second case, Dube, charged together with Kunaka and Manjoro, allegedly defrauded the company of US$62 635,97 by showing favour to one company which had not won a tender for a required job.
First to appear before Gweru provincial magistrate Mr Edwin Marecha facing criminal abuse of duty as a public officer was Dube. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded out of custody on $20 000 bail to April 2 for trial. It is the State's case that from January 2013 to February 2017, Dube allegedly took a ZETDC contract worker Andrew Homa to work as a gardener at his residence in Gweru.
Homa, the court heard, had signed a contract with ZETDC as a line worker and on ZETDC pay roll before being made to work as a gardener. During the period, Homa earned US$17 568, 25.
The court heard that Dube's contract of employment did not allow him to have a domestic worker being paid by ZETDC, therefore, he unlawfully and intentionally did what was contrary to or inconsistent with his duty as a public officer by showing favour to himself.
Dube then appeared together with Kunaka and Manjoro before the same court where the trio faced one count of criminal abuse of duty as public officers. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge. Mr Marecha remanded them out of custody on $20 000 bail each to April 2 for trial.
It is the State's case that on April 17, 2018, ZETDC allegedly intended to find a supplier to do supply and fitting of cabinets and partitioning of offices for general managers, human resources and administration manager, engineering manager and finance manager in Gweru.
The State heard that the nature of the job cost US$33 468 which exceeded the US$10 000 limit requiring to go through tender processes, a requirement under the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro, allegedly acting in connivance, decided to split the job to avoid going to tender. On April 17, 2018, the accused persons allegedly divided the scope of work as follows, general manager's office US$9 938, human resources and administration manager's office US$6 710, engineering manager's office US$9 999, finance manager's office US$6 830.
The court heard that the split was allegedly done to ensure that each of the original orders were below US$10 000. The original orders were done on the same date and works were allegedly done on the same premises meaning the splitting was intentional.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro, the court heard then allegedly called for quotations from Ndaftech Investments (Pvt) Limited, Premcraft (Pvt) Limited, Herbets Construction (Pvt) Limited and Creative Systems (Pvt) Limited.
On all the four occasions, the court heard that Ndaftech (Pvt) Limited won using a low bid but ZEDTC went on to amend orders of additional services which exceeded the original value by 50 percent of the original amounts.
After the amendments, the court heard that the cumulative cost of all the jobs was US$62 635,97.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro's responsibility was allegedly to make sure that proper procedures were followed before awarding a contract unlawfully and intentionally which was contrary or inconsistent with their duties as public officers by showing favour to Ndaftech Investments (Pvt) Limited.
Ms Wadzanayi Shayanewako appeared for the State in both matters.
The trio of ZETDC southern region manager, Engineer King Dube; finance manager Willard Kunaka and procurement officer Noel Manjoro were arrested by police working with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigation team.
Dube, in his separate case, is accused of allegedly taking a ZETDC contract worker and using him at his house when he was not entitled to have a gardener - a development that saw the company being prejudiced of US$17 568,25.
In his second case, Dube, charged together with Kunaka and Manjoro, allegedly defrauded the company of US$62 635,97 by showing favour to one company which had not won a tender for a required job.
First to appear before Gweru provincial magistrate Mr Edwin Marecha facing criminal abuse of duty as a public officer was Dube. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded out of custody on $20 000 bail to April 2 for trial. It is the State's case that from January 2013 to February 2017, Dube allegedly took a ZETDC contract worker Andrew Homa to work as a gardener at his residence in Gweru.
Homa, the court heard, had signed a contract with ZETDC as a line worker and on ZETDC pay roll before being made to work as a gardener. During the period, Homa earned US$17 568, 25.
The court heard that Dube's contract of employment did not allow him to have a domestic worker being paid by ZETDC, therefore, he unlawfully and intentionally did what was contrary to or inconsistent with his duty as a public officer by showing favour to himself.
Dube then appeared together with Kunaka and Manjoro before the same court where the trio faced one count of criminal abuse of duty as public officers. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge. Mr Marecha remanded them out of custody on $20 000 bail each to April 2 for trial.
The State heard that the nature of the job cost US$33 468 which exceeded the US$10 000 limit requiring to go through tender processes, a requirement under the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro, allegedly acting in connivance, decided to split the job to avoid going to tender. On April 17, 2018, the accused persons allegedly divided the scope of work as follows, general manager's office US$9 938, human resources and administration manager's office US$6 710, engineering manager's office US$9 999, finance manager's office US$6 830.
The court heard that the split was allegedly done to ensure that each of the original orders were below US$10 000. The original orders were done on the same date and works were allegedly done on the same premises meaning the splitting was intentional.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro, the court heard then allegedly called for quotations from Ndaftech Investments (Pvt) Limited, Premcraft (Pvt) Limited, Herbets Construction (Pvt) Limited and Creative Systems (Pvt) Limited.
On all the four occasions, the court heard that Ndaftech (Pvt) Limited won using a low bid but ZEDTC went on to amend orders of additional services which exceeded the original value by 50 percent of the original amounts.
After the amendments, the court heard that the cumulative cost of all the jobs was US$62 635,97.
Dube, Kunaka and Manjoro's responsibility was allegedly to make sure that proper procedures were followed before awarding a contract unlawfully and intentionally which was contrary or inconsistent with their duties as public officers by showing favour to Ndaftech Investments (Pvt) Limited.
Ms Wadzanayi Shayanewako appeared for the State in both matters.
Source - chronicle
