PROBE KARIBA DAM JOBS, ACC TOLD
By OLIVER SAMBOKO
A CIVIC activist says the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), must look into what transpired in Siavonga during the recruitment of workers for the rehabilititation of the Kariba Dam wall.
Governance, Elections, Advocacy and Research Services executive director MacDonald Chipenzi said he suspected malpractices may have happened during the exercise.
It was spearheaded by Siavonga District Commissioner Lovemore Kanyama.
Mr Chipenzi said it is surprising and shocking to note that during the selection process, only 86 candidates picked the “yes” tags but now over 100 are on the list.
He wondered where the over 16 ghost names came from. He said someone must be made answerable to the suspected corruption and cheating.
"We challenge the DC's office where these interviews were conducted to explain the discrepancies in figures of those who were interviewed and accepted and the final list.” Mr Chipenzi said.
He added that in the absence of a convincing explanation by the recruiters and facilitating office, the ACC should step in and bring out the truth about what transpired.
But Mr Kanyama has insisted that the recruitment exercise for the US$296 million Kariba Dam rehabilitation project was corruption free and everybody was given equal opportunity during the process.
Mr Kanyama claimed that some disgruntled individuals are trying to tarnish his good name by misleading people that there was corruption during the recruitment exercise.
"It’s shameful that some elements wanted to use the chiefs to rise against the government and my office on account that certain individuals of their choice were not recruited for the rehabilitation project," said Mr Kanyama.
Last month, hundreds of Siavonga residents, especially youths thronged Kariba North Bank Power Station Stadium to take part in the recruitment exercise which others have deemed
as not transparent.