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Mr Mandishona

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Government has resolved that suspended PSMAS managing director Mr Henry Mandishona resumes duty while a neutral arbiter be appointed to look at the issues raised by both the society’s board and the MD, in the dispute that led to his suspension.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa and his counterpart in the ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mrs Priscah Mupfumira confirmed the development in a joint statement issued yesterday.

“It has been thought prudent to allow PSMAS to recover without hindrance. Hence as a duo, we have resolved to place the concerns of both the board and the managing director before a neutral authority that shall adjudicate without partiality.

“While this process is expeditiously attended to, we have asked the board to carry on with the business of stabilising and turning around the Society under the leadership of the substantive managing director,” reads part of the statement.

The ministers said they were aware of the issues raised by both Mr Mandishona and the Board before making their decision.

“We are aware that a few months into the new dispensation (leadership of Mr Mandishona), the Board firstly sent the new MD on forced leave and, subsequently suspended him. The Board had raised a number of issues, which they wanted to investigate with respect to the conduct of the MD in the context of the prescribed way of doing business in PSMAS.

“The alleged issues were around employment and remuneration procedures, operationalisation of directives from the Board, misrepresentations of the Board to some stakeholders, acting in certain instances outside the Board’s authority, incurring costs for the Society not approved or sanctioned by the Board as well as contracting services before Board approval.

“Naturally you would expect that where more than one stakeholder is concerned or has interest in that matter at hand, we would also be getting representation from their diversity and in this context the suspended managing director also made his representations,” the statement added.

They also said after looking at the presentations by both parties, they decided it was proper for the operations of the Society to continue under the current Board and Mr Mandishona.

“As Government ministers with a Cabinet mandate to diligently dispose of our duties, we envision a new PSMAS with a board management that is able to map and chart a new path for the Society. We commit ourselves to be more vigilant watchdogs of this new PSMAS. We encourage (the) board and management to join their expertise, experience and knowledge to bring this new vision to fruition,” they said in the statement.

PSMAS has a dual reporting structure, firstly to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare as the founder and administrator and employer of the majority of PSMAS membership and, to the Minister of Health and Child Care as the regulator and issuer of licenses.

Mr Mandishona was appointed substantive PSMAS managing director in May, taking over from Dr Gibson Mhlanga but was sent on forced leave last month.

During his absence Dr Nicholas Munyonga had been acting managing director.