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Guvamatanga dodges Parliament again over US$400 million scandal
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Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga failed once again to appear before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday, defying expectations that he would explain the gross mismanagement of US$400 million in public funds flagged by the Auditor General's report.
The no-show has further strained relations between Parliament and Treasury, with the committee now threatening to issue formal summons through the Clerk of Parliament if Guvamatanga does not appear at a rescheduled hearing set for Friday, May 23.
PAC chairperson and Kuwadzana East MP Charlton Hwende confirmed that Guvamatanga had written to Parliament requesting more time to compile documentation linked to the questionable payments. These payments were made directly to suppliers without going through the line ministries, in breach of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), according to the Auditor General.
Among the companies that received direct payments from Treasury are Fertiliser Seed Grain (FSG), Ziminya Dam Construction, Ventures Borehole & Exploration, Semwa Dam, Makomo Engineering, Nyika Kanengoni & Partners, and Ren-Form CC - the South African company controversially linked to politically connected businessman Wicknell Chivayo.
Hwende said the committee had reluctantly agreed to postpone the hearing until May 23 to allow both Guvamatanga and Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube to attend and provide oral evidence. The committee expects them to clarify both operational and policy issues raised in the damning Auditor General's report.
"The Ministry will now appear before the Committee on Friday, 23 May at 10:00 AM," said Hwende. "We resolved as a committee that the Ministry of Finance permanent secretary needs to appear, and we also resolved last week that the minister must also come because there are policy issues that he must address."
Hwende added that the minister will be appearing before the committee for the first time, while the permanent secretary's continued absence is now a matter of grave concern.
"The permanent secretary must also appear with his team, together with the minister, and failing to appear, we resolved that the Clerk of Parliament must issue summons in terms of the Standing Orders that same Friday," said Hwende. "We're giving them a very final chance to appear, and if they don't, summons are issued immediately."
The PAC is also expecting the Ministry of Finance to account for its failure to submit treasury minutes to Parliament, a statutory obligation that has not been met. Lawmakers argue that this persistent non-compliance is eroding transparency and undermining the constitutional role of Parliament in holding the executive to account.
The Auditor General's findings have sparked outrage over alleged corruption and mismanagement within the Finance Ministry, with critics accusing Treasury of bypassing accountability mechanisms and enabling irregular payments to politically connected entities.
All eyes will now be on Friday's rescheduled hearing - viewed as a final test of Parliament's resolve to enforce financial accountability at the highest levels of government.
The no-show has further strained relations between Parliament and Treasury, with the committee now threatening to issue formal summons through the Clerk of Parliament if Guvamatanga does not appear at a rescheduled hearing set for Friday, May 23.
PAC chairperson and Kuwadzana East MP Charlton Hwende confirmed that Guvamatanga had written to Parliament requesting more time to compile documentation linked to the questionable payments. These payments were made directly to suppliers without going through the line ministries, in breach of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), according to the Auditor General.
Among the companies that received direct payments from Treasury are Fertiliser Seed Grain (FSG), Ziminya Dam Construction, Ventures Borehole & Exploration, Semwa Dam, Makomo Engineering, Nyika Kanengoni & Partners, and Ren-Form CC - the South African company controversially linked to politically connected businessman Wicknell Chivayo.
Hwende said the committee had reluctantly agreed to postpone the hearing until May 23 to allow both Guvamatanga and Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube to attend and provide oral evidence. The committee expects them to clarify both operational and policy issues raised in the damning Auditor General's report.
"The Ministry will now appear before the Committee on Friday, 23 May at 10:00 AM," said Hwende. "We resolved as a committee that the Ministry of Finance permanent secretary needs to appear, and we also resolved last week that the minister must also come because there are policy issues that he must address."
Hwende added that the minister will be appearing before the committee for the first time, while the permanent secretary's continued absence is now a matter of grave concern.
"The permanent secretary must also appear with his team, together with the minister, and failing to appear, we resolved that the Clerk of Parliament must issue summons in terms of the Standing Orders that same Friday," said Hwende. "We're giving them a very final chance to appear, and if they don't, summons are issued immediately."
The PAC is also expecting the Ministry of Finance to account for its failure to submit treasury minutes to Parliament, a statutory obligation that has not been met. Lawmakers argue that this persistent non-compliance is eroding transparency and undermining the constitutional role of Parliament in holding the executive to account.
The Auditor General's findings have sparked outrage over alleged corruption and mismanagement within the Finance Ministry, with critics accusing Treasury of bypassing accountability mechanisms and enabling irregular payments to politically connected entities.
All eyes will now be on Friday's rescheduled hearing - viewed as a final test of Parliament's resolve to enforce financial accountability at the highest levels of government.
Source - NewZimbabwe
