Audit Unearthed Tendering Crisis At ZINARA
An audit by Grant Thornton shows a procurement crisis at the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara). The audit reveals that under its “special projects arrangement”, Zinara has failed to uphold critical tendering principles.
Between 2012 and 2013, ZINARA paid Bermipools US$589 748, 94. The unregistered company is one of the companies Twalumba Holdings used to get a contract from Zinara. Twalumba Holdings was once investigated by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) over a US$2 million road rehabilitation tender involving Notify Enterprises. Notify Enterprises is one of its shelf companies.
Further, it has been revealed that Zinara under the special projects arrangement has granted tenders to connected individuals. For instance, ZINARA awarded a contract to Tencraft Construction. The company is linked to Mufaro Eric Gumbie the then principal director in the Ministry of Transport which oversees ZINARA.
ZINARA is said to have also awarded a contract to Haingate where Saviour Kasukuwere a former cabinet Minister’s younger brother Tichaona is a director.
Badon Enterprises which is co-owned by Chegutu West legislator Cde Dexter Nduna and his wife Scholastica was also awarded a tender. Nduna however, claims that when the company was awarded a contract, he was yet to join politics.
The Grant Thornton audit report also unveiled over-payments made to some contractors. It also reveals that some contractors were paid for unfinished jobs. The report also indicated that same individuals using different company names kept on getting contracts.
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