Following an explosive appearance before the Public Accounts parliamentary portfolio led by MDC-A and Harare East legislator Tendai Biti, the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) officials are allegedly “calling members of the committee,” in a move being touted as an attempt to “bribe and silence them,” the Zimbabwe Morning Post has heard.
The alleged calls come a few hours after Biti tightened screws on Zinara over the internal audit report which exposed the rot at the road administrator.
Zim Morning post is in possession of the internal audit report which the ZINARA bosses said they have never set their eyes on before appearing before the portfolio committee.
The audit exposed how Zinara abused funds amounting to million dollars and how tenders were awarded without following due processes as required by the law.
Legislators who spoke on condition of anonymity said they received calls of invitation to “visit Zinara offices.”
“I got a call on whether I can get time and pay a courtesy call to Zinara offices,” said the source.
“I actually asked the caller why I was being invited in my individual capacity when they (Zinara) will be back in parliament on Friday.”
The legislators said they are aware of attempts to silence them but will tread cautiously following what happened to Temba Mliswa and members of Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy which he used to chair. The members were accused of demanding a $400 000 bribe from investor James Ross Goddard of JRG Contracting (Pvt) Ltd.
Mliswa and Dexter Nduna have since been dropped from the reconstituted parliamentary committee on mines and energy following the bribery allegations.
An Inside source within Zinara revealed to this publication that soon after the appearance of Zinara before the Public Accounts Portfolio Committee there was a caucus meeting which agreed that MP’s should be given money to silence them.
Zinara Public Relations Manager Augustine Moyo denied allegations that his institution has been calling parliamentarians in their individual capacities.
“I want to know who in particular is calling the MPs,” he said.
