WE reported yesterday on Lupane State University (LSU) vice-chancellor Pardon Kuipa who has been sucked in a procurement scandal after the institution of higher learning purchased cattle at an inflated price and only a few were delivered.
This came to light following an internal audit conducted by the university through the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund.
According to the report, a total of 60 Nguni bullying heifers were purchased from Michview Enterprises in May 2022 at a cost of ZWL$22 million (US$132 534,75).
However, as of the audit date, some of the heifers had not been delivered.
The report further revealed that out of the 14 heifers that were delivered, eight were cows and one was a calf, deviating from the agreement.
If the supplier deviated from the original agreement, the university was supposed to raise that or claim a refund.
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If it has not raised a claim, investigators must establish why.
This could be a tip of the iceberg and more could be happening at the same institution. Investigators must comb through all the major procurement deals entered by the university and third parties.
Were those suppliers on the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe approved list?
The probe should be spread to all tertiary institutions.
Many a times, students are told to pay more in tuition fees to finance the running of tertiary institutions or other income-generating projects.
As the LSU case has shown, the high fees could be benefiting a few top officials through inflating prices on goods or services procured.
We urge relevant authorities to act on the LSU case. Those implicated should be called to explain themselves.
If they are on the wrong side of the law, the law enforcement agencies must move in to send the message to other tertiary institutions that it is no longer business as usual.
It is high time the government sent a clear message that tertiary institutions and parastatals are not piggy banks for a few officials.
They are national institutions that should invest in research and proffer solutions to the challenges bedevilling the economy.
We urge the responsible ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology to be alert to such malpractices and put measures that stem procurement misdeeds.
Those that are found with hands in the cookie jar should be prosecuted without fear or favour from some political godfathers that charge “protection fees”.
The President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration must move with agility and precision on these excesses.
That will signal a break with the past where it was business as usual. Citizens and students want that best and it is no longer business as usual.