Chronicle Editor
Midlands Bureau Chief
THREE senior Zvishavane Town Council officials have been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) for allegedly flouting tender procedures and awarding the same contract twice to a company, JM Construction, which had failed to fulfil the terms of the first contract.
The town secretary Tinoda Mukutu (53), housing director Nhlanhla Ngwenya (44) and town engineer Dominic Mapwashike (44) allegedly renewed the agreement with JM Construction, a land developing firm, without a council resolution.
This was heard when Mukutu, Ngwenya and Mapwashike appeared before Zvishavane resident magistrate Mr Archie Nechionga facing allegations of corruption.
They were not asked to plead and were remanded out of custody to June 28, on $30 000 bail each.
Mr Nechionga ordered the trio to continue residing at their given addresses.
He also ordered them not to interfere with witnesses or tamper with evidence adding that they should surrender travel documents and report once every fortnight at CID Zvishavane.
Prosecutor Mr Lloyd Mavhiza told the court that sometime in 2016, Zvishavane Town Council entered into a partnership agreement with Monitor Enterprises trading as JM Construction, for the servicing of 27 city centre extension stands in the valued at US$2 772 258.31.
JM Construction allegedly won the partnership agreement after competing in a tender process that was flighted by the town council, but the two-year timeframe lapsed before completion of agreed works resulting in the termination of the agreement.
The court heard that a notice of cancellation of the partnership agreement was served to JM Construction by the town council’s lawyers Chigariro, Phiri and Partners Legal Practitioners on October 1, 2018.
When the agreement was terminated, the town council was allegedly supposed to start the tendering process afresh, by way of flighting an advert in the local press inviting bids to continue with servicing of the stands.
However, on December 17, 2019, contrary to and inconsistent with their duties, the trio clandestinely negotiated and hand-picked JM Construction again to continue with the contract.
They allegedly entered into another new agreement with new conditions for the continued servicing of the 27 stands with JM Construction.
Online Reporter