ZETDC revenue officer, son in court for fraud

Prosper Dembedza

Herald Correspondent

ZIMBABWE Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) employee, Gideon Ngwaru and his son Tatenda Ronnie Ngwaru have appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa on allegations of submitting a forged CR 14 form of their engineering company to the State-owned company to get confirmation of compliance.

Ngwaru, who is employed by ZETDC as a revenue assurance assistant and also a director at Esol Engineering Pvt Ltd, together with his son Tatenda, were released on US$200 bail each.

The State, led by prosecutor Mr Rufaro Chonzi, alleged that sometime in 2020, the two accused registered an engineering company, Esol Engineering (Pvt) Ltd and appointed themselves directors.

The other directors are Gideon’s wife, Roda Gindiya and his other son, Tanaka.

Mr Chonzi said the accused persons planned to get a confirmation of compliance from ZETDC to supply pre-paid meters and to construct a sub-power station.

Upon realising that they could not get these contracts since Gideon was a ZETDC employee, they planned to fraudulently attain the contracts.

It is alleged that the two submitted a forged CR 14 form of Esol Engineering (Pvt) Ltd to ZETDC after removing Gideon’s name and replacing it with that of Tatenda’s wife, Sandra Tinotenda Ndoro.

The court heard that for ZETDC to give confirmation of compliance, it also requires a company to have a registration certificate from the Engineering Council of Zimbabwe.

For the year 2021, the two accused submitted to ZETDC, a registration certificate number 300345 dated May 21, 2021, from the council and ZETDC awarded the confirmation of compliance.

Esol Engineering (Pvt) Ltd was awarded the contracts to supply prepaid meters and the construction of lines and substation.

Investigations established that the certificate purported to be from the council was also fake.

The accused persons’ actions prejudiced ZETDC’s good administration.