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Daniel Nemukuyu, Senior Reporter
The chief executive of the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company Mr Brian Chawasarira has been suspended from work pending an investigation into allegations of mismanagement.
Sources said the Zupco boss was suspended last week amid reports that the bus company’s financial status was dwindling.
Zupco has been struggling to pay its workers and it is finding it difficult to pay off part of the the 300 workers it retrenched in 2011.
The company is yet to pay its workers salaries for November.
Labour disputes have over the years been haunting the parastatal, a development that saw several of its properties attached and later released in a bid to settle the labour damages.
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo yesterday confirmed that Mr Chawasarira was on suspension but he refused to give the details.
“It is true that Mr Chawasarira is on suspension on allegations of mismanagement but I am yet to get the details of the case.
“The parties were in my office but they will furnish me with the details to find out who is wrong and who is right.
“The papers of the case are yet to come to my office and investigations will soon be launched,” said Minister Chombo.
Workers at Zupco are yet to get salaries for November and are unsure of the company’s capacity to pay them the December salary in time.
Zupco has over the years been slapped with several lawsuits.
In May this year Pioneer Motor Company attached a Highlands building belonging to Zupco over a US$763 000 debt.
Pioneer sold 50 Scania buses to Zupco in 2004 for US$4 877 000 but the parastatal only paid US$4 113 932, leaving a balance of US$763 086.
In May the Supreme Court provisionally stopped the auctioning of the Highlands property.
The company has been struggling to raise US$1,7 million it owes its workers in salaries.
Zupco problems were on several occasions discussed in Parliament and the woes mounted despite that the company purchased 304 buses over the past three years.
Online Reporter