New twist to GMAZ $27m wheat allocation: Millers release RBZ acquittals

  • GMAZ releases official RBZ acquitals
  • Wadyajena says he wants them in Parly
  • Millers say disbursements were above board

THE impasse between Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) and Parliament took a new twist on Sunday as the Millers released full Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) acquitals detailing how the $27 million allocation for wheat was used.

This comes on the backdrop of reports that the Justice Mayor Wadyajena-led Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement allegedly accused the Millers of failing to account for the wheat allocations.

The official statement released by GMAZ shows that between May 2018 to March 2019 the Millers received an allocation of close to $28 million from RBZ for wheat procurement.

The documents also show how the wheat was procured and that close to $71 000 was paid to ship the wheat to Zimbabwe.

According to the documents eight milling companies collected the wheat upon arrival.

The release of the official RBZ acquitals comes at a time when the impasse between GMAZ and Wadyajena escalated to unprecedented levels last week.

On Tuesday last week, GMAZ national chairperson Tafadzwa Musarara failed to appear before Wadyajena’s portfolio where the agenda was supposedly an inquiry into the funding of Agricultural activities, with order of day meant to be submission of documentation relating to financing silo repairs countrywide.

In a letter dated January 14 2020, seen by the Zim Morning Post, acting clerk of Parliament Helen Dingani wrote to Musarara alerting him of the February 11 meeting that Musarara absconded.

“The purpose of the meeting is for you to provide proof of financing silo repairs countrywide. Please submit all necessary documentation to support your evidence by February 7 2020,” read part of the letter.

In an iterview with this publication Musarara said GMAZ submitted all the required documents to parliament.

Musarara even produced a video which shows his team submitting some files and responding to the questions on how the $27 million RBZ allocation was used.

“I don’t understand. We submitted them (source documents) to Parliament already and we appeared before the portfolio committee already,” Musarara said.