ZMDC boss thrown under the bus
By Zvikomborero Parafini
The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) acting general manager was yesterday thrown under the bus by a witness in the ongoing abuse of office trial involving $168 000.
The witness, Garikai Chimhina is the corporation’s former acting general manager who yesterday told Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya that the two accused persons Luke Akino and David Murangari gave their former colleague Thomas Mashungupa the job at Jena mines without following due process.
The State led by Micheal Reza led evidence in the form of emails that were exchanged within the corporation comparing the dates as to when Mashungupa was on site at Jena Mines.
“The first email to be received was from Akino’s secretary on October 10, 2017 that informed us that Mashungupa was set to make a presentation of his project at Jena Mines despite the fact that he had already commenced work at the mine without applications from other interested consultants.
“In fact, he had already moved in on site as in the email from the corporate and legal secretary T Chiparo which indicated that not a single consultant had been contacted besides Mashungupa and the draft contract was being circulated in a bid to legalise the illegality,” said Chimhina.
The witness further told the court that Akino only wrote an email to another consultant referred to as Mushangari which sought the turnaround plan quotation of the work at Jena mine, despite the fact that Mashungupa had already started work there.
He also indicated that there were queries raised with regards to the relationship between Mashungupa and the mine management who had worked together at the Bindura Nickel mine prior.
“I made a comment in the email on December 20 on the relationship between Mashungupa and the mine management which needed immediate intervention as it was insensitive to the mine needs, the project manager was arrogant.
“A fellow ex-co member Retired Colonel Lawrence Gondo also echoed my sentiments that Mashungupa was already making decisions and was no longer a consultant but was in fact the project manager as he was implementing the turnaround plan for Jena Mine,” said Chimhina.
The matter was remanded to today for continuation.
Luke Akino is appearing with his alleged accomplice former chairman David Murangari facing criminal abuse charges in which it is alleged that the duo corruptly awarded a $168 000 consultancy services contract to their acquaintance Thomas Mashungupa. H-Metro
