ZETDC suspends nine managers
NINE senior Zimbabwe Electricity, Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) managers have been suspended pending investigations over allegations of spearheading illegal power connections.
ZETDC southern region manager, Engineer King Dube was reportedly suspended last week together with eight other senior managers pending investigations in the scam that is believed to have bled the parastatal of more than US$2 million.
Other senior managers on suspension include development manager southern region Mr Samuel Saboa, commercial manager southern region Delia Sibanda and chief risk control officer southern region, Mr Casper Nhepera.
Kwekwe district manager Raphael Rupere, district engineer, Martin Kanyepe, Kwekwe sales executive, Edgar Mesopore and depot foreman Josphat Maorera have also been suspended.
Zesa spokesperson, Mr Fullard Gwasira, confirmed the suspension of the top managers but declined to shed more light.
“You know very well that this is not the right time and I am not the right person to be commenting on the matter since it is already a disciplinary matter, which is already before the disciplinary team,” said Mr. Gwasira without elaborating.
Investigations by this reporter, however, indicate that the power utility might have lost about
US$2 million in the scam in a space of more than two years.
The alleged syndicate is said to have facilitated i l lega l connect ions to mines, i n d i v i du a l prop e r t i e s and businesses in and around
Kwekwe. A whistle blower alerted top company officials who then discovered that a Chinese owned company has been connected for more than two years and has reportedly not been paying anything to the power utility.
The company which is operating from about 40 kilometres outside Kwekwe, is not on the ZETDC billing list.
Further investigations established that the company was supposed to be connected by the Northern region. More mines and other smaller companies and properties were later discovered to have been connected illegally.
A highly placed source within the company who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that investigations were underway and auditors were on the ground assisting with investigations.