Farmers, war vets swindled of millions
By Chris Goko, Bridget Mananavire and Everson Mushava
Sunday, 18 March 2012 11:58
HARARE – Thousands of farmers, pensioners and war veterans could have been
swindled of millions by a “bogus” college called the Zimbabwe Institute of
Technicians and Artisans (ZITA), investigations by the Daily News on Sunday
have revealed.
While a school representative Tafadzwa Gomwe declined to comment on the
Harare-based college’s operations and alleged scam, ZITA has been “docking”
as much as $55 per month from desperate communal farmers and pensioners’
bank accounts under the guise of educating their failed children, and
unemployed school-leavers.
In particular, the college has been targeting “villagers” with People’s Own
Savings Bank (POSB) accounts and where it earns a potential $4,6 million a
year under the scheme.
The irregular deals, which came to light when an elderly Manicaland couple
Kenneth and Romana Chendambuya tackled their bank over missing monies, also
shows ZITA has been deducting people’s money without power of attorneys on
the docked accounts.
As things stand, the state-run POSB has launched an investigation into how
“the ZITA debit orders” were effected and the missing funds reimbursed,
especially in the case of the Headlands-based folk.
Admore Kandlela, the bank’s chief executive, on Friday confirmed the
development and promised a comprehensive report, and feedback on Monday.
Apart from pensioners and ex-freedom fighters, quite a number of small-scale
tobacco farmers have also been “defrauded” by this shadowy college after it
docked their accounts at numerous Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board
(TIMB)-affiliated auction floors.
According to enrolment forms from the school, the Andrew Matibiri-led
institution is directly linked to ZITA, as it is listed as one of the
institutions — if not major beneficiaries — of the stop order arrangements.
However, the TIMB boss was unreachable for comment yesterday and to
specifically explain his organisation’s relationship with the bogus school.
Although a Higher Education and Examination Council registration certificate
was hung in the college’s Willowvale reception, an official at the Zimbabwe
Council for Higher Education maintained that ZITA was unregistered with the
tertiary education schools regulator.
With a reported 7 000 students, ZITA can easily make $3 million a year — if
one calculates its potential earnings using the $35 monthly administrative
fee quoted on the forms and 50 percent of student complement — and up to $5
million using the top-end debit figure of $55 per month.
In terms of how the “enterprising” college got hooked to the rural dwellers,
the Daily News on Sunday was told that the school’s marketing personnel was
holding village road-shows around the country and, naturally, hard-pressed
parents were receptive to the idea of improving their children’s
livelihoods.
In the meantime, the Chendambuyas “raised a stink” after their accounts were
docked $35 in December and January this year, but the amount inexplicably
rose or jumped to $55 in February.
ZITA’s ploy or justification, meanwhile, is a “disclaimer” — in very small
print — that it could unilaterally increase tuition fees for its students.
To add salt to injury, the school’s field workers allegedly gathered the
villagers’ account details or numbers before inserting them on the
“prospective” students’ enrolment forms.
In the Chendambuyas’ case, for instance, the team not only used their
Gokwe-based granddaughter Sheila’s name, but used one of the resident
children to sign off the forms, which were later used to cream off the money
at POSB.
Some elderly farmers also said they were surprised to find themselves as
“students” when their tobacco earnings were halved and garnished to the tune
of $480.
While the December 09 papers indicate that the “diesel and petrol motor
mechanics” classes would start in April this year, some visits by this paper
to the school’s town and industrial area offices produced serious
inconsistencies about when exactly lessons were starting.
At ZITA’s Willowvale office – where a Daily News On Sunday crew posed as
prospective clients — a receptionist said orientation was earmarked for
April 2, while another team to its Nelson Mandela Avenue office was told
that lessons had long started. However, further investigations have
indicated that “pupils” are only given modules to study at home.
Meanwhile, the Dartford Road premises looked dingy, deserted and dirty to
accommodate its “huge number” of students.
Gomwe insisted late yesterday that we sent him written questions, which
would only be attended to next week.