Parliament has ordered ZESA Holdings to submit documents related to the controversial 200 MW Dema Diesel Power Plant by the end of this week.
The power utility was also directed to avail documents on other projects that were flagged in the 2020 forensic audit report produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The directive was issued this afternoon by the Tendai Biti-chaired Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee when Zesa Holdings management led by executive board chairperson Sydney Gata appeared before it to respond to issues raised in the report.
The forensic audit report uncovered irregularities in the manner the deals were conducted.
In a post on Twitter this Monday, Biti highlighted the issues Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee is looking at. He wrote:
Today as Public Accounts Committee we began our work on #ZESA. We will be examining issues to do with the Gwanda Intratek solar project, the Dema Sakunda Diesel Power Plant, the #ZESA technology transfer agreement with India s PME &the US$35 m Afrexim-ZESA loan among other issues.
Today as Public Accounts Committee we began our work on #ZESA. We will be examining issues to do with the Gwanda Intratek solar project,the Dema Sakunda Diesel Power Plant, the #ZESA technology transfer agreement with India s PME &the US$35 m Afrexim-ZESA loan among other issues https://t.co/gTc6KA8quA
— TENDAI BITI (@BitiTendai) March 15, 2021
The tender for the Dema Emergency Power Plant project was won by United States power giant APR Energy Holdings but the company was sidelined in favour of Sakunda Holdings owned by Zanu PF benefactor Kuda Tagwirei.
The Zesa/Sakunda deal has since been cancelled due to the high cost of electricity produced at the plant.