News / National
4 council officials arrested over US$9m tender scandal
11 Jul 2024 at 02:23hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has arrested four Harare City Council officials for allegedly improperly awarding a street lights tender worth over US$9.2 million to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, a company linked to businessman Moses Mpofu. Mpofu, already facing fraud charges, holds a stake in the company despite it reportedly failing to meet tender requirements.
The arrested officials include Never Murerwa (62), Jabulani Mukomazi (44), Denford Zhungu (69), and Tawanda Mutenhabundo (29), all implicated in the tender evaluation committee for the streetlight refurbishment project. They are accused of bypassing competitive bidding processes and favoring Juluka Enndo, which had previously failed to deliver on contracts.
The alleged misconduct occurred during preparations for the SADC Summit, prompting exemptions from procurement regulations for project expediency. Despite Juluka Enndo's disqualification for failing to meet bid requirements, the accused officials allegedly disregarded this decision and irregularly awarded them the tender, violating procurement protocols and potentially costing Harare City US$9,244,328.71.
ZACC confirmed the arrests, highlighting that the accused face charges of abuse of duty as public officers. They are scheduled to appear in court for initial remand placement.
The arrested officials include Never Murerwa (62), Jabulani Mukomazi (44), Denford Zhungu (69), and Tawanda Mutenhabundo (29), all implicated in the tender evaluation committee for the streetlight refurbishment project. They are accused of bypassing competitive bidding processes and favoring Juluka Enndo, which had previously failed to deliver on contracts.
ZACC confirmed the arrests, highlighting that the accused face charges of abuse of duty as public officers. They are scheduled to appear in court for initial remand placement.
Source - The Herald
