ZETDC Senior Managers arrested
Three Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution senior managers from the Southern region have been arrested. The trio is in custody for alleged criminal abuse of office as public officers. Southern Region manager King Dube, finance manager Willard Kunaka and procurement officer Noel Manjoro were arrested by the police working with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigating team.
Engineer Dube has a separate case of allegedly taking a ZETDC contract worker and using him at his house for gardening when he was not entitled to have a gardener. This resulted in the company unfairly losing of US$17 568, 25. From January 2013 to February 2017 Andrew Homa worked as a gardener at Engineer Dube’s house but was recruited as a line worker by ZETDC.
In his second case, Dube is cgarged with Kunaka and Manjoro for allegedly defrauding the company of US$62 635, 97 by showing favour to one company which had not won a tender a required job. However, Engineer Dube pleaded not guilty before Gweru Provincial magistrate Edwin Marecha. To his advantage he was granted a bail of ZWL$20 000 and remanded out of custody till the 2nd of April.
The trio then appeared before the same court on charges of criminal abuse of duty as public officers. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge and were granted ZWL$20 000 bail each. It is the State’s case that on April, 2018 ZETDC allegedly intended to find a supplier to perform supply and fitting of cabinets for offices belonging to senior managers.
ZETDC Senior Managers arrested
The State was told that the nature of the job cost US$33 468 which exceeds the US$10 000 limit requiring to go through tender processes as stated in the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act
The three managers decided to split the job to avoid going to tender. On the 17th of April the accused divided the scope of work into four quoting each office its separate cost. This was done to ensure that each of the original orders were below US$10 000 limit.
After giving the job to Ndaftech Private Limited the three went on to amend the orders and inflating the prices by 50% giving a total of US$62 635, 97. The three engineers unlawful deeds led to their arrests.