By Kuda Bwititi
Six specially selected security crack teams are currently probing the misdemeanours by senior Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) executives, as authorities step-up the ante to cleanse the scandal-ridden parastatal.
This comes as top management at the State entity, including administration and human resources manager Mr Precious Murove, who has been a suspicious figure in most of the shenanigans that have rocked the parastatal, have been shown the exit door after Zinara board resolved not to extend their contracts.
Mr Murove features prominently in the Grant Thornton audit report as the key person who signed most of the contracts that prejudiced Zinara.
The report also raised questions over Mr Murove’s professional qualifications as he was a holder of a diploma in theology at the time he assumed his executive position.
The Sunday Mail understands the net is also closing in on other top current or former executives who milked the parastatal.
Former chief executive Mrs Nancy Masiyiwa-Chamisa’s contract will not be renewed as she is currently before the courts on allegations of prejudicing the company.
A series of other scandals have rocked Zinara including gross abuse of funds, awarding of contracts without going to tender, payments to companies that did not carry out works as well as payment of executive allowances outside of prescribed contracts.
In an interview, Zinara board chair engineer Michael Madanha said there will not be sacred cows in the clampdown at Zinara.
“As a board, we have discussed that the source of the problems at Zinara has to do with the implementation of road works, but that is beyond our purview as the board,” he said.
“Our prime focus is going to be to follow the money and make sure that anyone who abused funds will be brought to book.
“We are not going to protect anyone. There are six teams of agents that are investigating Zinara and they are leaving no stone unturned to make sure that they flash out all the illegal activities that could have happened,” he said.
Engineer Madanha said more officials at Zinara face arrest.
He said contractors that did not honour agreements signed with Zinara would be asked to pay back the money, redo proposed works or face criminal prosecution.
According to the Grant Thornton audit report, Zinara paid out over half a million United States dollars to a non-existent company between 2012 and 2013 under its “special projects arrangement”.
Grant Thornton also established that Bermipools is one of the companies that were used by Twalumba Holdings to get a contract from Zinara. The Sunday Mail
