Biti ill advised- ZINARA

The ZINARA audit report that has caused a storm has had a lot of accusations and counter accusations from parties involved with the latest backlash coming from the chairman of Parliament Committee for Public Accounts Tendai Biti who recommended the disbanding of the entire ZINARA board.

Biti accused the board of championing corrupt activities within the institution basing his argument on the findings of an audit report that was carried out by Grant Thornton auditing firm.

However,ZINARA has deemed Biti’s recommendations as misplaced arguing that the current board had nothing to do with what happened in the old administration.

In an interview with the Zim Morning Post, ZINARA public relations and corporate communications manager Augustine Moyo said the current board was a ‘new broom’ that was sweeping the past dirt.

“Honourable Biti is out of touch with the happenings at Zinara. Zinara has a new board led by former Transport and Infrastructural Development deputy Minister, Michael Madanha and he understands our challenges very well given his stint at the parent Ministry.

“The new board was appointed in January and it has been seized with a lot issues raised in the audit reports. The board that he wants to recommend it’s dismissal is way ahead of him by what it has done to redress most of the issues raised in the 2016 Audit Report.

“In 2016 the current board had not yet been appointed. The board has shown some senior management the exit door and the board is leaving no stone unturned in it’s mandate to instil new culture of corporate governance for the benefit of the shareholder and all stakeholders.

“The board chairman is on record that there will be no sacred cows in the clampdown at Zinara as the new board carries out its mandate,” said Moyo.

He added that Biti’s suggestion is like asking current finance minister Mthuli Ncube to be dismissed for policy blunders that occurred under his era as minister of the same ministry during the inclusive government time.

The audit report has opened a can of worms that has seen top executives resigning amid anti-corruption investigations.