Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona has said corruption is undermining the credibility of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA).
Speaking at ZINARA’s annual general meeting held at a local hotel in Harare this week, Mhona said:
Corruption undermines the credibility of the organisation and erodes public trust in the Road Fund.
He urged ZINARA to work with various stakeholders including the media to improve its image. Mhona said:
This includes partnering with civil society organisations where possible and the media to promote awareness of the organisation’s mandate, brand at large and also the good things being done which may at times go unnoticed.
This includes implementing strict procurement procedures to realise value for money, ensuring that contracts are awarded fairly and transparently, and conducting regular audits to identify and address irregularities.
In December 2021, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo said ZINARA, the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID), and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) were the most corrupt state departments.
Last month, a ZINARA licensing officer Patricia Chikorwe, stationed at the Harare Exhibition Park Branch, was sentenced to three years in jail after she was convicted of 258 counts of criminal abuse of office for manipulating the vehicle licensing system, resulting in a loss of potential revenue of US$168,458 for ZINARA.
In February last year, the ZACC arrested 12 ZINARA employees for fraud involving $9,8 million after they created fake tap cards which they swiped for motorists at the Shurugwi tollgate.
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