Four City of Harare employees are currently facing charges for allegedly awarding a $9 million tender for street lights to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, a company controlled by Moses Mpofu. The accused officials are Never Murerwa, Jabulani Mukomazi, Denford Zhungu, and Tawanda Mutenhabundo.
The officials appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa and were remanded in custody pending their bail hearing. Murerwa, the Manager of Supply Chain, and Mukomazi, the Principal Buyer, work in the Procurement Management Unit. Zhungu and Mutenhabundo are the Principal Accountants and Engineering Technicians, respectively.
In January 2024, Harare began rehabilitating street lighting in preparation for the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in August. On March 15, an invitation to tender was published, and eleven companies responded, including Juluka Enndo Joint Venture.
Despite initially disqualifying Juluka Enndo Joint Venture for failing to meet tender requirements, the accused officials later awarded the tender to the company. This move disregarded procurement rules requiring competitive bidding.
Prosecutors allege that Murerwa appointed the Tender Opening Committee on March 28. By April 19, the Evaluation Committee, including the accused, awarded the tender to Syvern Investments, Exodus and Company, Ship Tracks, and Onel Engineering. Each company was limited to two lots.
Juluka Enndo Joint Venture was initially disqualified but was later awarded the remaining lots in an unprocedural manner. The owners of the company also own Synlak (Pvt) Ltd, which had failed to deliver on a previous tender. Based on standard bidding conditions, this history should have disqualified Juluka Enndo Joint Venture.
Acting on the accused’s recommendations, Harare entered into a contract with Juluka Enndo Joint Venture and began preparing an advance payment of $9,244,328.71. The National Prosecuting Authority claims the officials acted inconsistently with their duties to favor Juluka Enndo Joint Venture.
This scandal underscores the ongoing challenges of corruption and transparency in Harare’s procurement processes. The case has drawn significant public attention, highlighting the need for stricter enforcement of procurement laws and accountability for public officials.
The court’s decision on this case will be closely watched as a benchmark for addressing corruption in public tenders. Public confidence in the transparency and fairness of procurement processes is crucial for good governance.
Source: New Zimbabwe
