The National Oil and Infrastructure (NOIC) company boss has been placed under investigations for corruption by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.
BRENNA MATENDERE
The development follows a formal complaint filed at the anti-graft body by the Zimbabwe Petroleum and Allied Workers Union (ZIPAWU).
The matter was unearthed in an investigation carried out under the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe’s Investigative Journalism Fund supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
NOIC is in the business of pipeline transportation of petroleum products as well as storage and handling in the company’s depots.
The Company has depots in strategic sites around the country, namely Bulawayo, Mutare, Beitbridge, Msasa and Mabvuku. NOIC has blending facilities at its depots and undertakes blending services on behalf of its clients.
Chamunorwa Murava, the ZACC communications officer in an interview confirmed that the body is probing NOIC’s chief executive officer, Wilfred Matukeni (pictured).
“Yes we received the report. We will give full details in due course,” he said.
In a letter to ZACC dated 3 May 2022, signed by ZIPAWU’s secretary-general Panganai Chiota, the labour body said Matukeni among other issues, is raking in US$20 000 as salary per month in a market “where even the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe does not earn close to that”.
The ZIPAWU also implored on ZACC to probe Matukeni of corruption and fraud.
They said he changed the policy of checking temperature of fuel on every truck before it is dispatched to depots of clients in order to detect periods where it expands and contracts.
The workers body said the change meant that Matukeni would benefit from surpluses where the fuel expanded.
“Fuel responds to temperature changes through expansion and contraction. When fuel temperature increases, the fuel expands and when fuel temperature drops, the fuel contracts.”
“In the past, temperature would be taken for every truck compartment when loading to determine the actual quantity dispatched. This ensured that clients get the actual quantities and potential loses or gains are recorded. Mr Matukeni changed this system… This means most clients were being shortchanged and NOIC would record huge gains or surpluses at the end of the month,” reads part of the report.
The union further stated that Matukeni could have benefited from the surpluses and called on ZACC to investigate the issue.
NOIC handles millions of liters of diseal and petrol transported through the Beira pipeline.
Using the pipeline, the state owned company supplies fuel to regional markets in Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The ZIPAWU also said the NOIC boss Matukeni mishandled a fund totalling US$143 000 which was meant for payment of overtime dues to 42 workers.
“It is against the labour laws and good corporate governance for a company to deprive workers of their legitimate earnings. This is wage theft against the demand to treat all fairly. That is one of the principles of good corporate governance enshrined in the law,” reads another part of the report.
Contacted for comment, the ZIPAWU secretary-general Chiota said they made a follow up on the report at ZACC and were assured that investigation will be made.
“At ZACC they said we will only be given a case number once the matter has been allocated to an Investigation Officer. They said we will hear from them in about three weeks’ time from the date we submitted the report which is 4 May 2022. The matters we documented are very serious,” he said.
He revealed that from the time of documenting the corruption report, there have been cases of victimisation on the leadership of ZIPAWU.
“Our ZIPAWU president (Samuel Hova) was suspended and will be appearing before a disciplinary committee soon. Some of the charges attached to his charge sheet are related to the matters of corruption we raised in the report submitted to ZACC,” said Chiota.
The ZIPAWU SG Chiota also confirmed investigations by this publication that some union leaders were receiving death threats from unknown individuals pressuring them to drop the corruption report.
“The issue of the death threats is now at the police. Its case number is 1R041852. We look forward to the investigations,” he said.
Matukeni did not respond to calls and messages when sought for comment.
