Theresa Takafuma
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts on September 10, 2021 grilled several local authorities which had issues raised in Auditor General (AG) Mildred Chiri’s 2019 report, with some being ordered to immediately present themselves to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for investigations.
The oral evidence sessions, which were chaired by Chegutu West legislator Dexter Nduna with the assistance of Masvingo Urban legislator Jacob Nyokanhete saw some of the local authorities being ordered to present themselves to the ZACC which also had representatives in the meeting.
Nduna told the local authorities that disciplinary measures were going to be taken especially on local authorities who did not take the AG’s report seriously, with Masvingo City Council being told that they were to present themselves to law enforcement agents for utterances they made in the media.
“This time there is no free lunch and action is going to be taken. Masvingo City Council made public proclamations and reckless statements in the media against the AG’s report and they are going to be held liable.
“May they present themselves to law enforcement agents at the end of this meeting, and if they fail to do so, the law enforcement agents will have to go and pick them up,” said Nduna.
Masvingo City was also grilled on the issue of parking fees paid in forex which were not banked, with Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa telling the committee that the person involved had already tendered his resignation at the beginning of investigations.
Nduna then questioned Eng Mukaratirwa why council management did not report to police after they found the person liable to the alleged offence when the police station was just a kilometer from council offices.
ZACC Commissioner Thandiwe Mlobane who was in the session then asked Eng Mukaratirwa to report to ZACC instead.
Nyokanhete also asked Masvingo City Council to present to Parliament full list of council debtors with leases and total amount owed to the local authority, after AG in her findings noted that at the time of audit, there was no lease register with details showing names of tenants and duration of leases.
In the 2019 audit report by Chiri Masvingo City Council was charged with several charges among them failure to make amendments which led to fraud losses, lack of control over fuel withdrawals, failing to deposit parking charges in South African Rand as well as spilling raw sewage into rivers and streams leading to Lake Mutirikwi, the city’s source of water.
Masvingo Mayor Councilor Collen Maboke once said the individual involved in the failure to bank parking charges was identified and under investigation while council dismissed from work the one involved in fuel scam though he appealed against the charge by approaching the Magistrates court.
“On the failure to bank parking charges, we have identified the individual suspected to be involved and the case is still under investigation.
“Those involved in the fuel scam were identified and dismissed from council though they have since approached the Magistrates court for an appeal,” Maboke was quoted in TellZim News story in June.
Mutare City Council, which was flagged in the AG’s report for initiating write-offs worth ZW$1 175 793 with no proper documentation in 2015 was also asked to present themselves to ZACC.
Gweru City Council’s Nemuseso told ZACC during the session that there were issues that they reported but were not satisfied by how the anti-graft commission is handling the matters.
Speaking to TellZim News after the session, Nduna said Parliament was going to use ZACC and police to get back what councils lost through misappropriation of funds.
“The evidence in some cases left a lot to be desired and lacked depth but we have ZACC and police going after the state resources and public finances. We are armed with the Public Funds Management Act, the regulations of the same Act and the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.
“We also have the constitution Section 316 in our quest to get back what councils have lost,” Nduna said.
