Wicknell Chivayo, the managing director of Intratek, a company that was awarded the tender to build a $200 million solar power project in Gwanda and was advanced more than $5 million is likely to drag four former cabinet ministers down with him.
The Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy was told yesterday that former Energy Ministers Elton Mangoma, Samuel Undenge and Dzikamai Mavhaire , and former deputy Energy Minister Munacho Mutezo, all played different roles in awarding the tender to Chivayo.
Chivayo was paid an advance of $5.6 million by the Zimbabwe Power Company yet he did not have a bank guarantee for the project and is also an ex-convict.
According to Newsday a ZPC board member Thandiwe Mlobane told the committee that Mangoma, Undenge, Mavhaire and Mutezo issued ministerial directives to suspended ZPC managing director, Noah Gwariro, to award the tender to Chivayo and to pay him $5.6 million without a bank guarantee.
“Gwariro was involved in a very serious accident, which left him unable to move or speak, but we knew there was political pressure on Gwariro to pay Chivayo the $5.6 million without the bank guarantee, but we wanted to hear it from Gwariro and it was until December (2017), when he got better when we pointed out to him that the Labour Act would have protected him from listening to political pressure from the ministers,” she said.
“Even for Intratek to be awarded the contract in 2013, it was political and even the deputy Energy minister Mutezo gave a go-ahead that he must be awarded.
“Mangoma gave a go-ahead for the feasibility study and Intratek even sought the assistance of Mutezo, and Mavhaire awarded the contract, while the pressure for the money to be paid without a bank guarantee came from Undenge,” she said.
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