THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) has been accused of ditching transporters in the Matabeleland region who were contracted to deliver examination papers and scripts in various parts of the province in 2023.
Zimsec reportedly contracted the transporters via the Central Mechanical and Equipment Department (CMED) to ferry examination papers between September and November last year.
Indications are that the vehicles were hired at a rate of US$152 per day to deliver Grade Seven, Ordinary and Advanced levels examination papers to various centres, after Zimsec introduced a new examination delivery system to secure question papers and curb leakages.
Southern Eye has established that the national examiner has paid transporters in other provinces for their services, leaving out those in Matabeleland North.
Some of the transporters, who were hired to service Hwange and Binga areas in 2023, had no kind words for Zimsec in separate interviews with Southern Eye.
“They have not been forthcoming in terms of payment for the services we rendered. They owe me US$1 000. They had given us 20% of the total payment in local currency,” one of the aggrieved transporters said.
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Another transporter said they were being shuffled from pillar to post.
“We have engaged them several times up to the level of finance director and it has not helped,” he said.
“All we want is to say we have a post-payment contract on how we are supposed to be paid.
“This is a grossly unfair labour practice by a State institution. The terrain we used our vehicles on was so bad and we must be paid.”
But Zimsec spokesperson Nicholette Dlamini refuted claims that they owed any transporters money, adding that they had seen news articles with such information, adding that last year, Zimsec did not contract any individual service providers for transportation.
“Our service was provided by a single institution that may have contracted the individual transporters to meet the contractual obligations. You would need to contact the organisation with which the service providers had a contract to find out on numbers and fares,” she said.
“Zimsec has met the contractual payments and obligations to the organisation which it had a contract with.
“Service providers are advised to meet with the organisation, which contracted them for expedient assistance.
“Service providers in 2024 were contracted directly by Zimsec. The contractual details and payments did not have a third party.”
Previous reports state that most transporters expected to be paid in United States dollars, at least US$4 000.
Some of the transporters claimed that they were paid in local currency in dribs and drabs.
Early this year, CMED spokesperson Tarisai Muzorori was quoted saying the examinations body had made part payments for vehicle hire services.