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Hebert Zharare and Paidamoyo Chipunza
New Premier Service Medical Aid Society board chairman Mr Luxon Zembe and the acting chief executive officer, Dr Farai Muchena, are “seriously compromised” and cannot lead a probe into the goings-on at the firm. Mr Zembe was on the PSMAS board and sat on the audit, budget and finance committees that should have reigned in the astronomical salaries and benefits paid to executives over recent years.
Dr Muchena is a beneficiary of the mega salaries and was only out-earned by the sacked CEO, Dr Cuthbert Dube.

Mr Zembe took over from Mrs Meisie Namasasu, relieved of her duties over the scandalous salaries earned by Dr Dube and senior managers. Dr Dube pocketed at least US$500 000 monthly.

“This (the new appointment) is just a game of musical chairs… People are being taken for a ride here. Imagine civil servants from as far as Mukumbura coming with their cards here in Harare being told they cannot be treated because the money was given to these people?

“It is evil. A lot of people died because of this yet they were contributing money for years. If the authorities do not act, then the people will,” a senior official at PSMAS said.

“Given that he (Mr Zembe) was in all these committees, he and his team should have picked these anomalies and raised alarm, but they did not.”

Mr Zembe was also non-executive board member of PSMI and six other subsidiaries, where Dr Muchena was earning fat packages.
On Monday, Mr Zembe said his hands were clean.

“I was not chairman of these committees, but just a member. There is a big difference between being a member and being chairman of the committee. Now I am in a position of authority to chair the board. If you are a member, you just make your contributions and the leaders decide either to listen to you or not take that advice. Right now I have full authority to direct things and in the past I was not able to control things by virtue of being (an ordinary) member. I now have a position to do right things and bring all my experience,” he said.

Insiders say Mr Zembe was aware of the mega earnings.
But he responded: “That information was not being declared … It was concealed and the leaders made sure what they wanted was discussed in meetings. We were all taken by surprise. That is why we removed the board chairperson.”

Dr Muchena pledged to address the rot at PSMAS.
“With the support of the board I hope to generate commitment and focus to put functional systems that will address the core competence areas of service delivery particularly in areas of doctors payments and member accessibility to health service centres of their choice.”

Dr Muchena said salary issues had already been dealt with by the board.
Many people still feel that reduced salary of US$60 000 for the group CEO is too much for a firm that is struggling to provide services.