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State Procurement Board chairperson Mr Charles Kuwaza testifies before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy yesterday

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
Members of Parliament yesterday rapped State Procurement Board chairperson Mr Charles Kuwaza for not taking the business of the House seriously after he failed to submit detailed responses on his board’s handling of a Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) tender.

Legislators from the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy took turns to castigate Mr Kuwaza for his attitude after he failed to give details of tenders handled by the SPB from 2008 to date as requested by the committee.

Committee chairperson and Gutu Central MP Cde Lovemore Matuke (Zanu-PF) later deferred the meeting to next week, but not before legislators had slammed Mr Kuwaza.

The committee had asked the SPB to disclose how many companies had tendered for electricity prepaid metres and who the successful firms were.

The committee sought to know if there were companies that had won tenders but failed to complete projects, and if so, how many they were.

Mr Kuwaza initially told the committee that their letter of request was of a general nature considering that the SPB handled several tenders for the whole state machinery.

He then requested MPs to ask him questions.

Cde Matuke asked him to first give them a brief on what they had written to him about.

Mr Kuwaza then outlined the operations of the SPB and the threshold of tenders it handled, but did not make specific reference to ZETDC, saying it was just one of many State entities it handled.

Legislators said his brief had not helped clarify matters.

“From what I have heard, our questions have not been answered. We are now shooting from the hip,” said Gutu West MP, Cde Tongai Muzenda (Zanu-PF).

Cde Matuke concurred: “We share the same sentiments with you Hon Muzenda. The gentleman has failed to answer our questions. What we need is to agree whether we should continue or give him another day. He should take the business (of the House) seriously.”

Glen View North MP Mr Fani Munengami (MDC-T) said while it was prudent that Mr Kuwaza should be given another day, he should explain his failure to respond to their questions.

Mr Kuwaza retorted: “I have responded. I am saying I have a whole lot of material that I have here.

“I can leave it with the committee. I have the information. It’s detailed. I did not know what the committee wanted me to do. I take the business of Parliament seriously,” said Mr Kuwaza.

Mberengwa North MP Cde Tafanana Zhou (Zanu-PF) said Mr Kuwaza should also respond to how the SPB had resolved a case in which the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority had garnished the SPB $1 million to recover what he (Mr Kuwaza) owed in income tax arrears.