The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development said the purchase of vehicles by top officials was above board.
The officials were accused of purchasing several top of the range vehicles for next to nothing. According to documents seen by The Herald, the nine directors from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development bought the vehicles with the approval of the Civil Service Commission after duly complying with all the necessary procedural requirements.
The nine directors were Mr Morgan Makina, Mr Thomas Singizi, Mrs Jacqueline Munyonga, Mr Dzidzisai Maenzanise, Mr Forbes Magumbate, Mr John Makandwa, Dr Temba Mabasa Hawadi and Mr Julius Moyo, who all bought Mazda B T50 vehicles while Mr Malcom Mazemo bought an Isuzu KB250. The nine were joined by a retired principal director Mr Valentine Vera who also purchased his vehicle in September last year for $1 500 from CMED. The costs were pegged at $1 500 by CMED and the vehicles mileage ranged between 109 540 and 146 839 km. A memorandum from the Mines Ministry reads:
The above directors were allowed to purchase Personal Issue Vehicles before the end of the stipulated five years because of the change in Policy. Personal Issue Vehicles Scheme for directors and equivalent grades: Service Wide was abolished and a new Vehicle Loan Scheme for principal directors, directors, deputy directors and equivalent grades in the Public Service was established through Treasury Circular A/102/18 dated 18 April 2018,” reads a memorandum from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development. The transactions were approved by PSC and the valuation of the Personal Issue Vehicles was done by CMED in terms of Government Policy on valuation of conditions of service. The disposal of the vehicles to the directors was part of their condition of service and job benefits and the valuation of conditions of service vehicles is not done using the prevailing market value of the vehicles.
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