Zacc busts roller meal syndicate

Investigations Editor

THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission ( ZACC) has busted a syndicate involving Grain Marketing Board ( GMB) workers who are allegedly hoarding mealie-meal for resale on the black market at extortionate prices.

ZACC chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo told The Sunday Mail that some of the parastatal’s employees were in some instances allocating themselves in excess of 10 000 20kg bags of Silo roller meal, which they would subsequently offload to the informal market.

“We have opened an investigation because there are some people at the GMB, including managers, who are responsible for fuelling the black market,” she said.

As a counter-measure, ZACC now plans to establish integrity committees for parastatals to both ensure compliance and plug loopholes.

The committees will monitor “problem companies”.

“In 2020, the plan is to stop corruption rather than chasing it. This can be done through building strong institutions,” said Justice

Matanda-Moyo.

Consumers have been battling to access roller meal, which is presently being subsidised by Government.

On the black market, roller meal is selling for almost twice the gazetted $50 for a 10kg bag.

Government recently established a taskforce chaired by Industry of Commerce Deputy Minister Raj Modi to address mealie-meal shortages.

Some of the taskforce members are drawn from the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Standards Association of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Industry and Commerce,

GMB, Confederation of Retailers’ Association and ZIMRA.