Zimpapers Logo

Anesu Madiye Herald Reporter
Judgment in the fraud case involving former Highfield National Assembly representative Psychology Maziwisa and former ZBC News anchor Oscar Pambuka has been set for December 6.

The pair is being accused of duping  Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) of over $12 000 after claiming to have done publicity work.

Allegations are that Maziwisa and Pambuka claimed to have done publicity work for ZPC during a Zim-Asset conference in February 2016 when in fact it was carried out by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).

The pair yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube making their defence case.

Maziwisa denied that President Mnangagwa was involved in them getting the contract from ZPC, as was stated by one of the witnesses.

“Your worship, those allegations either came from someone who is trying to come between me and the President,” he said.

“He did not in any way give a directive to ZPC to award us that contract. They gave us the contract because of the trust they had in us, we had once done a good job for them.”

Maziwisa said if they were really guilty of the crime, then Ms Fadzai Chisveto, ZPC’s public relations executive would not have commended them for a job well done.

Oscar Pambuka

Allegations are that sometime in 2016, Maziwisa and Pambuka took a letter to ZPC from former Minister of Energy and Power Development, Samuel Undenge.

The letter directed ZPC to work with Fruitful Communications at intervals of six months.

It is alleged that in January 2016, Maziwisa and Pambuka entered into a verbal agreement with ZPC to do its publicity work.

During the agreement, ZPC was represented by Mr Noah Gwariro and Ms Chisveto.

It is alleged that on February 12, Fruitful Communications hosted a Zim-Asset conference at a local hotel where Undenge was the guest of honour.

ZBC covered the event, but on March 8, Maziwisa and Pambuka, with an intention to defraud the company, brought an invoice of $12 650 to ZPC.

They allegedly claimed that they had done the Zim-Asset media campaign and press conference on power projects in Kariba, Hwange and Batoka.

They also claimed to have done news bulletins at Power FM, Radio Zimbabwe and National FM and a “Powertalk” programme on Power FM.

The pair also alleged they had done Zim-Asset conference radio interviews on National FM and another Powertalk session on energy and infrastructural development.

Acting on the misrepresentation, ZPC paid the money.