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ZETDC official in court over forged tender documents
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A senior official at the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has appeared in court alongside his son on allegations of forging company documents to secure a lucrative tender to supply pre-paid meters to the power utility.
Gideon Ngwaru, employed as a revenue assurance assistant at ZETDC, and his son, Tatenda Ronnie Ngwaru, a director at Esol Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, were released on US$200 bail each after appearing before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa.
Prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi told the court that in 2020, the Ngwarus registered Esol Engineering with themselves as directors. They reportedly sought to win contracts to supply pre-paid meters and construct a sub-power station. However, Gideon's employment at ZETDC disqualified them from benefiting directly.
To overcome this hurdle, the pair allegedly forged documents to disguise Gideon's involvement. They are accused of altering the company's CR14 form to remove his name, replacing it with that of Sandra Tinotenda Ndoro, Tatenda's wife.
The prosecution further alleged that they submitted a fake registration certificate — number 300345 dated May 21, 2021 — to ZETDC. The fraudulent certificate was allegedly used by the utility as part of its compliance confirmation process when assessing the company.
The case adds to growing concerns over tender irregularities at state-owned enterprises, where officials have been accused of abusing insider positions for personal gain.
The matter has been remanded to a later date for trial.
Gideon Ngwaru, employed as a revenue assurance assistant at ZETDC, and his son, Tatenda Ronnie Ngwaru, a director at Esol Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, were released on US$200 bail each after appearing before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa.
Prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi told the court that in 2020, the Ngwarus registered Esol Engineering with themselves as directors. They reportedly sought to win contracts to supply pre-paid meters and construct a sub-power station. However, Gideon's employment at ZETDC disqualified them from benefiting directly.
The prosecution further alleged that they submitted a fake registration certificate — number 300345 dated May 21, 2021 — to ZETDC. The fraudulent certificate was allegedly used by the utility as part of its compliance confirmation process when assessing the company.
The case adds to growing concerns over tender irregularities at state-owned enterprises, where officials have been accused of abusing insider positions for personal gain.
The matter has been remanded to a later date for trial.
Source - The Standard
