THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) on Friday last week arrested two officials from the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe (IDDZ) on allegations of criminal abuse of office involving procurement of vehicles.
IBDZ acting general manager Edward Tome (50) and the agency’s spokesperson Dereck Sibanda (45) appeared before a Harare magistrate on Saturday and were both remanded in custody to tomorrow for bail application.
Allegations are that on December 23, 2021, Sibanda, through an IDCZ internal requisition, instructed Vimbiso Chikwereti, the procurement manager, to buy a 4X4 SUV motor vehicle for Tome.
Sibanda then verbally advised Chikwereti that there was an IDCZ board resolution allowing them to buy the vehicle. He allegedly further instructed her to initiate the tendering process.
It is alleged that again on December 28, 2021, Sibanda, through an IDCZ internal requisition, instructed Chikwereti to procure a 4X4 twin cab pick-up truck to serve as an IDCZ executive pool vehicle.
The court heard that Sibanda also verbally advised Chikwereti that there was an IDCZ board resolution allowing them to procure the vehicle and further instructed her to initiate the tendering process.
In the same week, Chikwereti flighted an advertisement calling for prospective bidders for the supply and delivery of a diesel motor vehicle 4X4 SUV and a pick-up truck 4X4 twin cab.
The advertisements were published in the Government Gazette of December 31, 2021 and January 7, 2022 and the closing dates were set as January 21, 2022 for the 4X4 SUV vehicle and February 8 for the for the 4X4 pick-up truck tender.
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Four companies submitted bids for the SUV motor vehicle and on January 24, 2022, an evaluation committee was set to open and evaluate the bids submitted by the vehicle suppliers.
Mike Harris’ bid was valued at US$109 034, Rally Motoring at US$84 345, Faramatsi Motors at US$81 429,79 and Motor City at US$71 000.
On January 25, 2022, before the evaluation committee concluded the evaluations and contrary to the provisions of Section 30 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [PPDPA] general regulations, Tome and Sibanda allegedly handpicked Faramatsi Motors and instructed Chemplex Corporation chief executive James Chigwende to process a full purchase price of $9 445 856 for a Toyota Prado SUV for the acting general manager.
The PPDPA stipulates that procuring entities should spend at least 15 days evaluating bids and another 14 days as waiting period.
It is further alleged that on January 28 last year, Sibanda and Tome also illegally contracted Faramatsi Motors to supply and deliver the 4X4 SUV Toyota Prado. The two are also allegedly handpicked Croco Motors to supply a 4X4 pick-up truck for $21 750 000.
On the closing date of the bids for the supply and delivery of a 4X4 pick-up truck, an evaluation committee where Sibanda was a participant sat and considered bids for the 4X4 pick-up truck.
The bids included Mike Harris (US$58 550), Croco Motors (US$21 750 000), Nissan Clover Leaf (US$45 088), Faramatsi Motors (US$59 140) and AMTEC Motors (US$56 224).
The pair further allegedly tasked the evaluation committee to “sanitise” the flawed procurement process in retrospect.
The evaluation committee was then forced to regularise the whole process on paper and resultantly awarded the tenders to Faramatsi Motors and Croco Motors, respectively.
According to the State, investigations then established that if proper procurement procedures had been followed, the tender for the supply and delivery of the Toyota Prado was supposed to have been awarded to Amtec Motors.
Supply of the Ford Ranger Raptor, according to the investigation, should have been awarded to Nissan Cloverleaf. Both suppliers were the lowest bidders and their bids were within the set specifications.
The State alleges that Tome and Sibanda handpicked suppliers of the two motor vehicles, had payments made without contracts and had contracts for supply and delivery of the motor vehicles signed before the procurement process was concluded.
By handpicking expensive suppliers, they also allegedly showed favour to Croco Motors and Faramatsi Motors while disfavouring the other motor vehicle companies who were made to participate in tenders that already had predetermined winners.
