Corruption ridden ZESA Holdings’ board jumped the gun when it on Sunday flighted an advert in state media inviting applications for a new chief executive officer with neither the knowledge nor consultation of the new Energy Minister Fortune Chasi, the Zim Morning Post can reveal.
Suitable candidates were advised to tender applications due in 11 days in contrast with standard procedure which states that such adverts are supposed to run for at least a month in all national newspapers and abroad.
This development has however exposed the board which insiders allege that they did not follow due process .
“The board jumped the process and flighted the advert behind the minister’s back.
“ZESA is a critical institution and the minister is supposed to be advised in decisions like this.
“I understand the minister was equally shocked by seeing the advert in the newspapers,” said our impeccable source who refused to be named.
Zim Morning Post is reliably informed that the board sat last week soon after Chasi’s promotion and reached the decision in huff in a move that some industry players deemed as undermining the new minister and aligning with the former minister Joram Gumbo whom they are believed to have brokered several controversial deals with.
“The board is divided with some of the members aligned to the former minister (Gumbo) having pushed for flighting of the advert while others like us simply want positive change and continuity to serve the nation,” said a board member who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Outgoing CEO Engineer Josh Chifamba was booted out after the board did not extend his contract.
This ouster followed his arrest in October last year is in connection with the criminal abuse of office in the awarding of a contract involving Zesa’s unit Zent and Indian firm, PME, for the supply of transformers and other equipment worth $35 million.
Chifamba has also been previously linked to dodgy deals involving the Dema diesel project and Solar Hart which supplied pre-paid meters.
Both of minister Chasi’s mobile phones were not reachable by the time of writing on Monday and the same scenario occurred whe we tried to contact the board chair Collins Chihuri.
