TOURISM and Environment minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu (pictured) has placed the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s chief executive officer Winnie Muchanyuka and chief operating officer Givemore Chidzidzi under corruption investigations by a special committee led by the Public Service ministry’s permanent secretary Simon Masanga.
BRENNA MATENDERE
The five-member special investigation committee was appointment by Ndlovu through a Government Gazette published on 27 January 2023.
Other members of the committee are Gibson Chijarira (chief director in the Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development ministry), N Shuva (chief internal auditor in the Energy and Power Development Ministry), E Ngwarati (chief director in the Local Government and Public Works ministry) and R C Makunike ( chief director, Legal Advice Department of the Attorney-General’s Office).
Oswald Chihombori, the deputy director of human resources in the ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry will be the secretary of the special investigations committee.
Terms of the investigations read: “The Special Investigations Committee shall be guided by the following terms of reference. The Special Investigation Committee shall establish the following…The policy on holiday allowances for the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Chief Executive Officer.”
Minister Ndlovu also tasked the committee to probe the policy on Chidzidzi’s holiday allowances and check: “Whether there are any reference provisions for Acting Chief Executive Officer to get holiday allowances as stated in the letter from Office of the President and Cabinet . . .”
“If the Chief Executive Officer benefitted from Chief Operating Officer allowances? If so how much . . .)
“How payments were affected and whether there was Board concurrence for Acting Chief Executive Officer to get Holiday allowances at Chief Executive Office level . . .” “If there are any breaches in terms of the corporate Governance Act — if so, what are the recommended remedial measures . . .”
“And if there are any loopholes/gaps identified in the allowance system and make recommendations to prevent such occurrences in future.”
The investigation committee will also probe the ZTA board to establish how grocery allowances were paid out during the Covid-19 period.
The committee should also probe the basis for that Covid allowance to ZTA board members and check if there was a board resolution to that effect.
The probe team was also tasked by Ndlovu to investigate whether this was provided for in terms of the Corporate Governance Act, ascertain how long the board members received the grocery allowances and the total cost in monetary terms.
The committee again will look into whether these grocery allowances were given to all staff members of the ZTA.
“On both issues, the committee may raise other pertinent issues in terms of the Corporate Governance Act [Chapter 10:31] and will be guided by the Corporate Governance Act to ensure transparency, fairness and professionalism in the assignment,” said Ndlovu in the Gazette.
Muchanyuka replaced Karikoga Kaseke as ZTA CEO in June last year. Kaseke had resigned in 2021 due to ill health.
Muchanyuka was on the board of the Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe and the Chinhoyi University School of Tourism before joining ZTA. She has vast experience in the aviation industry with a stint as an air hostess for Air Zimbabwe and Swiss Air.
She also worked as an executive for South African Airways.
