The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) is set to pound on Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) for failing to adhere to the legal, statutory and policy instruments which governs it.
The Grant Thornton report reveals that ZINARA flaunted its mandate which in terms of the Roads Act is to fix road user charges, collect revenue of the road fund and in turn allocate and disburse the funds to road authorities.
Instead, it encroached on the roles of the authorities losing thousands of dollars with no improvements on road maintenance.
According to the Road Act, functions of ZINARA include, “audit the use of the funds from the Road Fund by Road Authorities and to ensure that disbursed funds are utilised for the purpose for which they are intended and in accordance with the rules prescribed with the rules prescribed by the Road Administration.”
The duties that were prescribed were, however, flaunted as ZINARA went on to purchase equipment, fuel and construction materials among other purchases on behalf of Road Authorities which is not part of its mandate.
“During the period from January 2011 to March 31, 2016, ZINARA purchased graders, jet patchers, fuel and road construction materials on behalf of Road Authorities,” reads the report.
In October 2014, the ministry of transport issued a circular stipulating that ZINARA should disburse money for road maintenance to Road Authorities but during a board meeting held on January 19, 2015, deliberations were made that ZINARA would continue purchasing material for the authorities.
As a result of this violation of its mandate as stipulated in terms of law, ZINARA has been imposing its decisions on Road Authorities which are supposed to be the ones making specific purchases of equipment and materials needed to address specific problems.
At some point, ZINARA through a company it had given a tender to purchase equipment purchased snow graders as a result of this breach in the stipulated process and the overlap of roles.
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