News / National
Mangoma in trouble again, investigated for damaging Govt property
07 Jun 2015 at 18:00hrs | Views
Troubled former minister Elton Mangoma, ex-minister Tapiwa Mashakada and 35 senior Government officials are being investigated for wrecking State assets worth millions of dollars.
The assets include top-of-the-range vehicles and are scheduled to appear before a board of inquiry, charged with damaging Government vehicles in road accidents between 2009 and 2010.
That inquiry is led by the Economic Planning Ministry, which Mangoma headed as minister in 2009 before being succeeded by Mashakada in 2010 when he was assigned to the Energy portfolio.
According to Sunday Mail, Mangoma who has launched his political party was allocated to a Toyota Prado which was taken to a local garage after the accident but has never been repaired.
And 35 senior officials will answer to various charges, among them driving Government vehicles without licences and damaging them in road traffic accidents.
In her 2013 audit report, Comptroller and Auditor-General Mildred Chiri said there were indications of "lack of control over management" of Government assets and this would continue to cost authorities huge sums.
"Boards of inquiry for Prado TCE-390 and a Peugeot 406 registration (number) AAO-8296, which were involved in accidents in 2009 and 2010, respectively, were not conducted.
". . . Boards of inquiry should be done within stipulated time-frames by properly constituted board committees as per internal management circular No 1 of 2007."
"Boards of inquiry for Prado TCE 390 and Peugeot 406 registration (number) AA0 8296 had not been conducted as at September 30, 2013.
"These two vehicles were being used by two former Ministers of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion.
"The ministry has written to Parliament, seeking guidance on conducting the boards. Now the new ministry (Economic Planning) is handling this issue."
The audit also revealed that the Lands and Rural Resettlement Ministry was yet to investigate 27 cases dating back to 2007.
In one case, an acting head of department based in Bulawayo was car-jacked on August 28, 2008 while driving a Government vehicle.
It was discovered that he had neither a driver's licence nor authorisation to drive ministry vehicles.
His bosses attributed their failure to investigate to inadequate resources.
The assets include top-of-the-range vehicles and are scheduled to appear before a board of inquiry, charged with damaging Government vehicles in road accidents between 2009 and 2010.
That inquiry is led by the Economic Planning Ministry, which Mangoma headed as minister in 2009 before being succeeded by Mashakada in 2010 when he was assigned to the Energy portfolio.
According to Sunday Mail, Mangoma who has launched his political party was allocated to a Toyota Prado which was taken to a local garage after the accident but has never been repaired.
And 35 senior officials will answer to various charges, among them driving Government vehicles without licences and damaging them in road traffic accidents.
In her 2013 audit report, Comptroller and Auditor-General Mildred Chiri said there were indications of "lack of control over management" of Government assets and this would continue to cost authorities huge sums.
"Boards of inquiry for Prado TCE-390 and a Peugeot 406 registration (number) AAO-8296, which were involved in accidents in 2009 and 2010, respectively, were not conducted.
"Boards of inquiry for Prado TCE 390 and Peugeot 406 registration (number) AA0 8296 had not been conducted as at September 30, 2013.
"These two vehicles were being used by two former Ministers of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion.
"The ministry has written to Parliament, seeking guidance on conducting the boards. Now the new ministry (Economic Planning) is handling this issue."
The audit also revealed that the Lands and Rural Resettlement Ministry was yet to investigate 27 cases dating back to 2007.
In one case, an acting head of department based in Bulawayo was car-jacked on August 28, 2008 while driving a Government vehicle.
It was discovered that he had neither a driver's licence nor authorisation to drive ministry vehicles.
His bosses attributed their failure to investigate to inadequate resources.
Source - Sunday Mail
