ZIMRA On Spotlight As It Suspends A Recent Appointment Of Dr Mpofu As Acting Commissioner-General
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has come under fire after suspending the appointment of Board member Dr Morris B Mpofu to the post of Acting Commissioner-General.
Mpofu was previously accused of corruption at the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Mining Corporation (ZCDMC) where he was the chief executive officer.
ZIMRA announced the suspension of the appointment in a Board circular No. 2 of 2022 dated 7 January 2022 that was addressed to all staff. Read the circular:
RE: NOTICE OF CHANGES TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THE ACTING COMMISSIONER-GENERAL AND THE CONTINUATION OF MR. R. MASAIRE AS ACTING COMMISSIONER-GENERAL.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) Board wishes to inform members of staff that the assumption of duty of Dr Moris B. Mpofu as Acting Commissioner General of the Authority has been suspended.
Accordingly, Mr Rameck Masaire will continue to serve as Acting Commissioner General of the Authority.
ZIMRA had announced Mpofu’s appointment on the 4th of January 2022. Reads the statement that announced the appointment:
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) Board announces the early retirement of Mr. Rameck Masaire who was the Acting Commissioner-General (ACG) of ZIMRA. The retirement is with effect from 1 February 2022.
Mr. Masaire re-joined ZIMRA as Commissioner Domestic Taxes on 1 September 2018, coming from Ernst & Young. He served in that role until 1 February 2021 when he was appointed ACG of ZIMRA, the role he has been executing until his retirement notice on 30 December 2021.
With his vast tax knowledge and experience, he has provided valuable leadership to the organisation and the team that he has been working with over the years. A number of notable achievements have been recorded during his time in ZIMRA, which will remain an invaluable legacy for the organisation and the nation. The Board takes this opportunity to thank Mr. Masaire for his contribution to the organisation and wish him well in his future endeavours.
In the same breath, on behalf of the Board, I announce the appointment of Board Member, Dr. Moris B. Mpofu as Acting Commissioner-General with effect from 1 January 2022 until 30 April 2022 with the hope that within that period the recruitment process for the substantive Commissioner-General would have been finalised. Dr. Mpofu’s appointment is in terms of section 17 (4) (b) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act [Chapter 10:31].
The ZIMRA Board wishes Dr. Mpofu the best in managing this transition.
Commenting on the development, exiled former Cabinet minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo described Moyo’s appointment as “controversial”. He said:
ZIMRA has suspended its controversial appointment of Dr Moris B Mpofu as the Authority’s Acting Commissioner General!
Law expert, Alex Magaisa said is folly to suspend Mpofu’s appointment and keep him as a board member. Said the UK-based law lecturer:
The absurdity is that while they say Dr Morris B. Mpofu is not good enough to be the Acting Commissioner-General, he has been and is still good enough to be a board member of the tax collector!
The ZIMRA Board this week invited qualified and experienced Zimbabwean citizens to fill the position of Commissioner-General.
