By Lloyd Takawira
In an audit report in possession of this publication, HARARE City Council (HCC) allegedly lost over R5 million in a corrupt garbage truck tender deal.
The deal involved a local company which was allegedly awarded the tender to supply ten skip trucks.
However, the local company failed to meet tender specifications thus failed to supply the refuse trucks.
It is alleged the deal involved senior Harare City Council employees.
Minutes from an Audit Committee meeting States that in September 2017, Harare flighted a tender for the supply of ten double skip bin trucks .
However upon delivery, it was later realized that the council vehicles did not meet tender specifications.
“An anonymous person reported to the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) that the company had delivered to the City vehicles which did not meet tender specifications.
“On the 14th of December 2018, the company representative together with a council employee examined the ten trucks for compliance with the tender specifications.
“It was later discovered that they did not meet the specifications but the company had been given advance payment,” he said.
HCC was botched more than R5 190 000 as it took delivery of single skip trucks instead of double skip trucks and it was further noted that there were no delivery notes for these skip bin trucks.
“Payment of the skip bins was made direct to the company from a certain bank upon written authorization by the finance director, Stanley Ndemera using the ZWL$30 million loan facility for the purchase of Plant and Equipment,” read part of the minutes.
HCC has since sued the local company for breaching the contract as the delivered ten trucks did not meet tender specifications.
Analysts who spoke to this reporter concurred that Harare City is losing millions to tenderprenuers hence called for a comprehensive audit and the intervention on ZACC.