HARARE - Moses Juma, the acting Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) chief executive, yesterday walked into a firestorm after Parliament grilled him over his agency’s procurement of road rehabilitation equipment, including graders, at “ridiculous prices”.
Accompanied by Transport and Infrastructural Development permanent secretary Munesu Munodawafa, the new Zinara boss, was taken to task over the purchase of 80 graders by Paurina Mpariwa’s Public Accounts Committee (Pac).
“We need to know why Zinara opted for more expensive machinery, with a huge difference of $70 000 on each item and… something could have (been) happening in awarding of the tender to the winning company,” she said.
The Movement for Democratic Change legislator’s concerns came after some local suppliers had put in bids of $130 000 per grader when the eventual winner — backed by an offshore
contractor — allegedly supplied the equipment at $200 000 per unit.
Mpariwa’s key committee also queried why Zinara had flouted tender procedures in procuring 40 more graders and handed the lucrative contract to a Chinese firm, and at the expense of
local companies, which had the capacity to supply the same machinery.
And Juma’s case was not helped by Munodawafa, who exonerated himself from the “dubious” decision to extend the contract and said it was the Zinara executive management’s entire decision, but to their credit, he had instructed the parastatal to write to him explaining the circumstances surrounding the issue.
“When I learnt that Zinara management did not follow tender procedures, I asked them to follow the proper channels and seek clearance from the ministry (Transport and Infrastructural Development), and make sure that they are not going to repeat the same mistake again…,” he said.
On the other hand, Juma apologised to Parliament for side-stepping Charles Kuwaza’s State Procurement Board in the decision to buy the graders.
“I want to apologise for what we did (as a board), but it was necessary… considering we had been allowed to buy the first batch of 40 graders without any problems (and) we needed
the other 40 graders to cover all the district councils in the country,” he said.
Munodawafa also took the opportunity to inform the august House that Frank Chitukutuku, the former Zinara boss, had left the organisation to pursue private interests.
The equipment fiasco also comes as the roads manager has been accused of dipping into tollgate funds to help government pay civil service salaries, and Juma’s own appointment is
under the spotlight.