Parliament says ZINARA staff, board must be investigated for abuse of office

Recommendations

The Committee makes the following recommendations:

• That the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development must take urgent corrective measures to protect the interests of Zimbabwe and the interests of ZINARA.
• That the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development must report to Parliament within two (2) months from the adoption of this report on the urgent corrective measures taken.
• ZINARA must, through the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, present to Parliament within two months from the adoption of this report:

1. a breakdown of all amounts paid to Univern by ZINARA from inception to date;
2. the breakdown of all monies that have accrued to ZINARA in respect of tolling, motor vehicle licenses and transit fees; and

iii. details of the capital outlays made in the construction of toll gate infrastructure and sources thereof of the finance.

This report and the Audit report should be referred to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the National Prosecuting Authority, within two (2) weeks of the adoption of this report, for a thorough investigation on commissions and omissions by named individuals and officials that include officials at ZINARA, Univern and the then State Procurement Board.

Special Projects

ZINARA executed special projects with many questionable and dubious contactors which costed the organisation the sums of USD 71 487 896, 21 and ZAR 31 452 102, 53.

The Committee makes the finding that ZINARA has no authority in terms of the Roads Act [Chapter 13:18] of entering into any special contracts with any contractors.

The Committee makes the finding that ZINARA is a Road Fund whose sole function is to distribute resources to road authorities who are in fact local authorities.

The Committee therefore, makes the finding that the huge amounts of USD 71 487 896, 21 and ZAR 31 452 102, 53 that were spent in respect of these contracts were done illegally and outside the laws of Zimbabwe.

The Committee further makes the finding that in the majority of the special projects, there was no delivery, no performance and no oversight by the ZINARA Board.

The Committee therefore makes the finding that the special projects were nothing other than looting of resources by the executive of ZINARA in connivance with corrupt contractors.

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