Council reports suppliers, workers to ZACC

Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Harare City Council has referred to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) cases of suppliers and council workers involved in scams on overpayment, fake quotations and quotations with common authorship, among other methods used in fleecing the local authority of thousands of dollars.

Acting chamber secretary Mr Charles Kandemiri told the Audit Committee that council had handed over the matter involving the alleged acts of misconduct by council employees and suppliers to ZACC for investigation in terms of Section 72(5) of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (Chapter 22:23).

On November 26, the Audit Committee recommended to council that the supply chain manager blacklists all suppliers, including directors, in their individual capacities who have been listed for overpricing.

“On 14 February 2019 the committee resolved that suppliers who benefited and council workers who were involved in overpayments and use of fake quotations, quotations with common authorship, collusive submission of quotations, unauthorised variation of payment terms, advance payments, clandestine change of RTGS payee details and non-delivery of goods paid be referred to Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission for further investigation,” read the minutes.

“The committee now considered a confidential report (12 March 2019 circulated with the agenda) by the acting chamber secretary (Mr Charles Kandemiri) recommending noting that the suppliers and council employees involved in acts of misconduct has been referred to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.”

The committee discussed the matter noting that council could not blacklist the suspected offenders pending their prosecution and conviction by the courts.

The committee tasked management to follow up with ZACC on the outcome of the investigations.

The committee noted that suppliers that council employees suspected to be involved in the acts of misconduct have been referred to ZACC and that Mr Kandemiri follows up on the outcome and report to the committee.

Harare Mayor Councillor Herbert Gomba is pushing council to invite ZACC to Town House to probe workers who have been issuing fake licences and pocketing thousands of dollars from home industries and flea markets.