Alternative fraud charge for Tapfuma

THE State wants to bring an alternative charge of fraud in the case of former principal director of State Residences in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Douglas Tapfuma.

Prosecutor Mr Clemence Chimbare told the court of the State’s intentions yesterday.

Tapfuma is facing abuse of office charges after allegedly facilitating the importation of several vehicles duty- free.

Mr Chimbare asked for a postponement of the matter on the grounds that he wanted to add fraud as an alternative charge.

Harare regional magistrate Mr Hosea Mujaya deferred the matter to November 14 for trial.

Allegations are that on April 17, 2018, Tapfuma allegedly assigned Bonani Ganyane, an officer working in the transport section of the Department of State Residences, to proceed to Beitbridge and facilitate clearance of two vehicles on behalf of the department using report order forms as if they were Government vehicles.

Ganyane allegedly proceeded to Beitbridge and provisionally cleared the vehicles using the report order forms.

After allegedly clearing the vehicles, Ganyane advised Tapfuma, who instructed him to hand them to Vongaishe Mupereri, who at that time was National Assembly Member for Mbizo constituency.

The court heard that on April 20, 2018, Tapfuma made an application to the Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet requesting for duty- free certificates in the name of the President’s Department, which were issued.

Tapfuma then allegedly applied for duty exemption for the vehicles at Zimra, which was granted.

He then registered the vehicles at Central Vehicles Registry under the name of the President’s Department and started using the vehicles in his personal capacity.

The alleged vehicles were liable to pay duty amounting to US$ 3 180.

The court heard that on the second and third counts, Tapfuma allegedly purchased five personal vehicles between June and August last year, from South Africa. Tapfuma is being represented by Mr Jonathan Samukange. Blessings Chidakwa HARARE City Council yesterday resolved to sell its stands and charge lease rentals in United State dollars and will be approaching Government to get requisite permission.

The local authority made the resolutions last night during the city’s 1890th ordinary meeting held in council chambers at Town House.

According to finance and development committee report tabled in the full council meeting last night council resolved that land is an immovable asset and its use has to bring equitable value to council.

“. . . Council authorises the town clerk and the acting finance director to quote lease rentals as well as land purchase prices in a stable currency with the actual payments being made in prevailing equivalent official interbank rate at the date of the actual payment.

“That the town clerk and acting chamber secretary be authorised to engage the relevant authorities to seek for waiver or exemption of the provisions of the statutory instruments 213 of 2019 exchange control regulations and be allowed to set in $US rates for lease rentals and purchase prices on council land,” read the minutes. Chairing the meeting Acting mayor Enock Mupamawonde said council has since approached Government to get an exemption to sell their land in US dollars.

While awaiting Government’s approval in the meantime council is also proposing to have Bureau de Change at their revenue halls to cater for people who want to make payments using US dollars.

The acting finance director Mr Stanely Ndemera said they were recording an increasing number of clients that were coming to their banking halls with foreign currency.

“We have seen members of the public coming in holding foreign currency, thus we are proposing to have Bureau De Change in our banking halls.

“We are proposing a situation where a financial institution comes and sets up a bureau de change and council gets something.”

HARARE City Council workers’ representatives have given the local authority a seven day ultimatum to address several issues such as reviewing of salaries and transport allowances and the allocation of serviced stands to workers.

The employees are represented by the Harare Municipal Workers Union, Zimbabwe Urban Councils Workers Union, Water and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Allied Municipalities Workers Union representing employees in Grades 5-16.

According to the ultimatum issued by Harare Municipal Workers’ Union executive chairman and employee party chairperson Mr Cosmas Bungu their members will only report for duty twice a week if council fails to meet their demands.

“We are giving them seven days, up to the 6th of November 2019, to resolve the above issues. Failure of which our members will be financially incapacitated and will only be able to report for duty twice a week and the Central Works Council in conjunction with Departmental Works Councils should make arrangements to ensure that residents continue to get service,” he said.

He said Harare City Council was supposed to review employees’ salaries in tandem with the prevailing economic conditions but has not been doing so resulting in the lowest employee now being paid a paltry $350 a month.

“City of Harare employees cannot continue to live on slave wage salaries, which cannot sustain them. The least paid employee now earns about $350 yet the least paid Government employees is earning $1 023, although this is considered to be low.

“This minimum pay condemns all employees in Grades (5 to 16) to extreme poverty, which is diabolic and an affront to economic and social justice in the workplace,” he said.

Mr Bungu accused council of not complying with arbitral awards.

“We are now urgently demanding payment of 2,5 percent backpay for 2017 and 6 percent for 2018. We also want payment of $125 hardship allowance as well as immediate increase of basic salary,” he said.

The workers have also demanded for the immediate finalisation of allocation of serviced stands to employees in lieu of their 2015 salary arrears.

They are also demanding that transport allowance be reviewed and paid weekly since fuel prices are rising every week or for the allowances to be pegged in United States dollars and paid out at the prevailing interbank rate. Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said they were seized with the issue.

“Council is seized with the issues of employees’ welfare. Corrective and collective measures are being looked into to ensure service delivery is not disrupted and our workers are motivated to deliver their mandate.”

The ultimatum comes as the city fathers and management continue to be extravagant through spending millions of ratepayers money on out of town workshops in defiance of a Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing directive for them to suspend such activities.