Zupco’s chief executive suspended

Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe United Passenger Company chief executive Mr Brian Chawasarira has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations of mismanagement and corruption.
Sources said the Zupco boss was suspended a fortnight ago amid reports that the bus company was not performing.
Zupco has been struggling to meet dues to workers and is finding it difficult to pay off part of the 300 employees it retrenched in 2011.
The company is yet to pay its workers salaries for November and there is uncertainty over its capacity to meet December dues to employees.

The company owes workers US$1,7 million.
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo last week confirmed Mr Chawasarira’s suspension.
“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.
Labour disputes dog the parastatal and several of its properties have been temporarily attached to settle court orders.

In May this year Pioneer Motor Company attached a Highlands, Harare 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 transporter has bought 304 buses over the past three years, but its financial situation is not visibly improving.