President Emmerson Mnangagwa has suspended the ZESA Executive Chairman, Dr. Sydney Gata, and the entire ZESA Board members with immediate effect.
Mnangagwa also directed the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) to immediately undertake thorough investigations into allegations of corruption made.
Gata was recently suspended by Zimbabwe’s Energy Minister Fortune Chasi. Chasi also barred Gata from entering ZESA premises as a measure to give the board time to investigate the corruption allegations against him.
Gata hit back at Chasi accusing him of undermining efforts to curb corruption at the power company and of working in cahoots with people being investigated for graft.
In a letter to Chasi, Gata further added that the letter by Chasi directing the board to investigate him was unlawful.
However his efforts to fight the suspension by Chasi have proven null and void as Mnangagwa suspended him on Thursday night.
Savanna News publishes the statement of Mnangagwa suspending Gata below:
STATEMENT BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT AND CABINET: DR M.J.M. SIBANDA ON THE SUSPENSION OF THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND THE ENTIRE ZESA BOARD BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT, CDE E D MNANGAGWA
His Excellency the President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has, in terms of Section 16 (1) (a) read together with Section 16 (1) (d) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, suspended the Executive Chairman of the ZESA Holdings, Dr. Sydney Gata and the entire ZESA Board Members with immediate effect.
His Excellency the President has also directed the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo to immediately undertake thorough investigations into the following issues:1. The allegations leveled against the Executive Chairman by Honourable Minister of Energy and Power Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi;
2. Any other underlying corrupt activities bedeviling ZESA Board Members and the electricity sector as a whole.
DEPARTMENT OF PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS Office of the President and Cabinet Private Bag 7700, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe. Telephone: +263 242 707091-7, +263 242 701441His Excellency the President expects ZACC to complete its investigations as well as tabling its Report on the findings within four (4) weeks
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