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Ishemunyoro Chingwere Business Reporter
GOVERNMENT has suspended Mashonaland Central provincial mining director Mr Malcolm Mazemo and nine Ministry of Mines and Mining Development officials on allegations of corruption.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando announced the suspensions at a news conference in Harare yesterday.
He said eight of the 10 suspended officers were based at the Mashonaland Central provincial office. This has resulted in Government temporarily suspending all services as investigations continue.
Services will only begin after pooling human resources from other stations. Two other suspended officials are surveyors from Mashonaland West.
Minister Chitando declined to shed more light, save to say the officials were facing allegations related to the administration and allocation of mining claims.
“The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has been seized with a lot of complaints from stakeholders over service delivery, especially from its provincial offices,” he said.
“As a result, and in line with the ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ mantra and in line with the thrust for zero tolerance for corruption by His Excellency, the President . . . the ministry had been and will be investigating all complaints of malpractices by its staff.
“Such investigations have resulted in the suspension of surveyors at its Mashonaland West provincial mining office. Similar investigations have resulted in the simultaneous suspension of duty today (yesterday) 5th of July, 2019 of most of the technical staff at the Mashonaland Central provincial office including the provincial mining director.”
He said due to the suspension of several of the technical staff at the Mashonaland Central provincial office, it became necessary to temporarily suspend all services offered by that office from lunchtime yesterday until July 10, 2019 to allow the ministry to put in place measures to enable sound service delivery while investigations are in progress.
Minister Chitando added that Government will be following up and investigating all allegations of malpractice by stakeholders against its officials as it seeks deliver the best service.
Online Reporter