Prof Moyo’s fuel saga takes new turn

ZIMBABWE Youth Council (ZYC) executive director Mr Livingstone Dzikira, unilaterally requested Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo for 100 000 litres of fuel ostensibly on behalf of the Zanu-PF Youth wing without the involvement of other members of his management committee, legislators heard yesterday.

Members of the Parliamentary portfolio committee on Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment chaired by Gokwe Nembudziya Cde Justice Mayor Wadyajena (Zanu-PF), were told that Mr Dzikira, despite him being on a three-year study leave in China, wrote a letter to Prof Moyo, by-passing the acting director of ZYC.

ZYC acting director, Mr Sungano Chisina and assistant director for finance and administration Mr Tonderayi Motsi, said this when they, together with Mr Dzikira appeared before the committee to explain how the 100 000 litres of fuel was handled.

The 100 000 litres of fuel given to ZYC forms part of an investigation by the Zimbabwe AntiCorruption Commission on Prof Moyo and his deputy Dr Godfrey Gandawa for allegedly abusing $450 000 from Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund to strengthen their social ties in their respective constituencies.

ZACC has indicated that its investigations had shown that the 100 000 litres of fuel did not get to Zanu-PF Youth wing, the intended beneficiary.

When asked by Cde Wadyajena to explain about the 100 000 litres, Mr Chisina who is director for operations, said: “I do not know anything about the issue of the fuel. I have no information about that.”

Mr Chisina said no meeting had been convened by them as the management committee in which a resolution was made to write to Prof Moyo requesting his ministry to provide them with fuel so that they could assist the Zanu-PF Youth wing on skills gap assessment.

He was responding to a question from Chitungwiza North MP, Mr Godfrey Sithole (MDC-T), on whether any meeting had been held.

“Yes, there is a management committee. But we never sat to discuss this matter as management committee,” said Mr Chisina.

He disowned an entry book that Mr Dzikira had earlier on given to the committee, which the latter had said was used by ZYC to record any donations.

Mr Chisina said he saw the book for the first time in Parliament yesterday, confirming allegations by the committee that Mr Dzikira could have just bought it and purported it to be a book used at ZYC to record all donations.

Asked if letters by Mr Dzikira were valid given that they were written when he was not officially at work, Mr Chisina said: “On that note, they were not valid.”

Mr Motsi told the committee that the only time he heard about the 100 000 litres of fuel was when Mr Dzikira told him that he was going to collect the fuel coupons from Dr Gandawa.

“Like what Mr Chisina said, there was no management committee meeting held to make that request,” said Mr Motsi.

Mr Chisina and Mr Motsi’s evidence dovetailed with evidence given to the committee two months ago by Secretary for Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Mr George Magosvonge, who said he was never briefed about the fuel despite him being the accounting officer of the Ministry.

Earlier on, Mr Dzikira had told the committee that he wrote to Prof Moyo after prior communication with him on a request ZYC had received from the Zanu-PF Youth wing, which needed support to conduct a skills gap assessment.

Mr Dzikira said he subsequently collected the fuel coupons from Dr Gandawa’s office.

The committee grilled Mr Dzikira on why he continued to write letters on behalf of ZYC when he was on a three-year study leave and at a time the parent Ministry had appointed Mr Chisina to act in his post.

He was also grilled on why he appointed Ms Julian Kariri as acting executive director when the parent Ministry had appointed in writing Mr Chisina to act as executive director