ZESA Holdings group chief executive officer, Josh Chifamba

By Alois Vinga

ZIMBABWE Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) employees have called on the power utility’s chief executive officer to urgently expedite a forensic audit that will ascertain the magnitude of losses suffered due to corruption scandals that bedeviled the authority during the past two decades or so.
In a letter dated November 27, 2017 undersigned by the Energy Sector Workers Union of Zimbabwe, Secretary General, Gift Mushunje and addressed to ZESA’s CEO, Josh Chifamba, the workers made urgent demands to restore sanity at the power utility.
“As workers, we demand that all public funds mismanaged at ZESA be accounted for to the last cent via a forensic audit and all war veterans who were dismissed leaving the company’s assets exposed must be re-engaged forthwith,” reads the letter in part.
The power utility was also urged to implement Statutory Instrument 50 of 2012, which ordered a salary increase for staff. A call was also made encouraging the immediate disengagement of all companies owned by ZESA’s top managers and to abort the proposed tariff increases until a financial assessment has been instituted and concluded by competent and “untainted auditors” .
In the letter, it is alleged that to date ZESA has numerous labour disputes, chief among them being the refusal to honour a 2012 agreement to increase salaries.
“… Instead you chose to bankroll activities of the infamous G40 reactionary group by way of purchasing a bus for Grace Mugabe which was later handed to Danhiko, issuing free electricity benefit to the Energy Minister and the entire ministry’s officials at an irrevocable cost to the public,” says the letter.
Mushunje noted that the corruption scandal linking ZESA top management and Samuel Undenge in a public relations project involving Oscar Pambuka, and Psychology Maziwisa needs thorough explanation and accountability.
The contracted companies owned by top managers are competing for space and resources resulting in cuts to workers’ overtime payments and suspicious cost cutting measures, which have bred poor service delivery, the letter alleged.
The numerous payroll systems being used by ZESA were also condemned and described as providing “conduits” to extort the utility’s revenue.
Unjustified purchase of high profile luxury vehicles was also condemned for compromising service delivery.
“The pending purchase of Toyota Prados, Fortuners and Range Rovers whose tenders have since been floated must be put on ice and rather focus on re-tooling and re-equipping. Also the purchasing of Amarok trucks for Undenge and his permanent secretary (Patson) Mbiriri must be immediately investigated leading to the immediate return of the trucks,” says the letter.
ZESA public relations manager, Fullard Gwasira, had not responded to questions on the matter at the time of going to print.

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