President Emmerson Mnangagwa has accused government bureaucrats of abusing public funds by flouting procurement procedures.
Addressing delegates at the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) annual conference in Harare on Thursday, Mnangagwa said the abuse of public funds will not be tolerated.
He said the government is working on legislation to punish public officials charged with violating the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act. He said:
This conduct by procurement entities, which goes against the very tenets of the Second Republic, will not be tolerated.
My government is, therefore, cracking the whip on those who are bent on abusing public procurement processes, thereby frustrating and delaying government programmes and projects.
Some of my senior government officials when they are given vehicles, park them, deflate tyres, and use the pool car to wait for time to expire so that they can acquire the vehicle while still quite new.
If the workers discover that the boss’s car is deflated they go and repair the wheel and the boss silently deflates another.
Meanwhile, he uses the pool car because he knows at the end of three or five years he will get the car in excellent condition, but at book value in terms of years.
I am also informed that there are lots of motor vehicles and furniture in government offices put aside, and new furniture bought and put in the office.
All those are government assets and must be disposed of according to the law.
| NewsDay