admin
Online Reporter
A senior manager with the Central Mechanical and Engineering Department (CMED) in the Roads Engineering Division is facing allegations of fraud and abuse of office.
The case was recorded with police in Bulawayo referenced as IR650524. In his statement to the police which was recorded on Monday, Tinashe Madziro alleged that in 2021, CMED Roads Engineer Million Shumba offered local businessman Sipho Maphosa an opportunity to supply Bitumen 70/100 for road construction.
Maphosa accepted the offer and indicated to Shumba that he used a company named Muchingwi Solutions (Pvt) Ltd and was then instructed to deliver the product to Asphalt Products (Pvt) Ltd on behalf of CMED.
When Maphosa asked to see the purchase order, Shumba allegedly produced one with a company called Hillphantt Ent (Pvt) Ltd instead of Muchingwi Solutions. Quizzed about this anomaly, Shumba allegedly told Maphosa that this was done because Muchingwi Solutions was not VAT registered and processing the payment from CMED would have been difficult.
“Payment was made to Hillphantt Ent but was not handed over to Muchingwi Solutions,” stated Madaziro. According to the statement, Muchingwi Solutions was prejudiced of R700 000.
derick.khumalo