NATIONAL Social Security Authority (NSSA) acting general manager Charles Shava, who faces criminal abuse of office charges, was yesterday granted $500 000 bail by Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
Shava is being represented by Musindo Hungwe.
The complainant in the matter is the State represented by Marjorie Chinyemba in her capacity as the vice board chairperson of NSSA.
Shava is the director of public health and safety, but is currently acting NSSA general manager.
It is the State case that on October 18 last year, the NSSA human resources committee held a board meeting and Shava tabled a proposal to increase remuneration of NSSA doctors.
Shava allegedly recommended that NSSA doctors get 20% medical allowances (risk), 25% non-practicing allowances, and 50% retention allowances and special skills at 20%.
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On November 8, NSSA held a full board meeting and the chairperson of the human resources committee tabled Shava’s proposal to review the conditions of service for NSSA doctors where the allowances in question were proposed.
The board turned down the call allowances, medical allowance and non-practicing allowances, but said the doctors could be paid a retention allowance, and that the amounts must be provided to the human resources, public relations and marketing committee.
On the same day, Shava fraudulently altered the wording of the NSSA board resolution to effect the new allowances.
The original board resolution read, “The HR committee was to consult the finance committee on the proposed amounts before sharing with the board.”
The forged board resolution read: “The HR committee was to consult the finance committee on the proposed amounts before implementation.”
On December 7, Shava allegedly added the on-call allowances, non-practicing and medical allowances which had been turned down by the board in a memorandum addressed to the chairperson of the human resources committee.
He instructed the acting human resources director to effect payment of the allowances to four doctors.
On February 7, Tambudzai Jongwe, the acting human resources director wrote an email to Shava seeking clarity on why the doctors were paid allowances without NSSA finance committee and board approval.
Shava emailed Jongwe instructing her to proceed with the payments with effect from January 1, 2023, stating that Jongwe’s concerns had been fully addressed by the board.
Acting upon the misrepresentation, Jongwe effected the payments of allowances to the four doctors amounting to $12 246 571,48, contravening the board resolution.
NSSA was prejudiced of $12 246 571,48.