The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has opened investigations targeting accounting officers in Government entities who approved irregularly priced tenders for the supply of goods and services.
This comes as the anti-graft watchdog has heightened systems and compliance checks at all State-owned enterprises (SOEs) and local authorities to ensure compliance with public procurement regulations.
ZACC’s investigation is also targeting officials at the Parliament of Zimbabwe, who recently approved a tender for the procurement of laptops and desktops valued at US$9 264 and US$3 076 a unit respectively. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has since cancelled the tender and blacklisted the companies enlisted to supply the gadgets.
In an interview, ZACC spokesperson, Commissioner John Makamure, said: “We have opened investigations targeting several Government entities and private companies which are implicated in this procurement saga.
“The commission has identified public procurement as one of the hotspots for corruption.
“The other hotspots include public finance management, mining and agriculture.”
Comm Makamure said the ZACC and PRAZ are monitoring procurement practices at all public entities.
“In addition to investigations for prosecution and asset recovery, we have entered into an MOU with the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) to undertake awareness campaigns on issues around procurement laws, policies, and regulations so that there is better understanding of procurement laws by the entities,” he added.
“Further, our systems and compliance department is intensifying systems and compliance reviews targeting public entities, State-owned enterprises and local authorities to ensure they adhere to the highest standards of good corporate governance in relation to procurement.”
Consumer Protection Commission chairperson Dr Mthokozisi Nkosi said inflation of prices by Government suppliers negatively affects the economy.
“It is very unfortunate that there are companies that were inflating prices and this had an impact on the inflation and exchange rate which, in turn, affected the ordinary citizens,” he said.
“So, I think it is only fair that Government takes such measures as a way of curbing this practice within Government entities and private companies.”
Recently, President Mnangagwa directed Treasury to return all procurement invoices to ministries and Government departments for thorough revalidation of payments effected to suppliers to curb malpractices that have been destabilising the local currency and fuelling inflation. President Mnangagwa said accounting officers who fail to detect pricing malpractices would be deemed criminally negligent.
