Zacc arrests Gweru TC Vakai Chikwekwe over tenders

Zim Now Writer

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday arrested Gweru acting Town Clerk, Vakayi Chikwekwe for allegedly violating tender procedures.

Chikwekwe is being charged with abuse of office.

The acting Town Clerk was picked from his offices in the morning and appeared before Gweru provincial magistrate Miriam Banda.

Banda granted him ZWL$100 000 bail with conditions to report at Zacc offices once every fortnight and not to interfere with State witnesses at Gweru City Council and the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.

Chikwekwe is being represented by Tonderai Chitere of Chitere, Chidawanyika and Partners.

The heard that sometime in 2020, Gweru City Council intended to develop and service Mkoba 21 residential stands and duly advertised an invitation of expression of interest in the Government Gazette under tender number COG/01/06/2020on May 29, 2020.

Eight prospective bidders submitted their tender applications on June 30, 2020. The Technical Evaluation Committee recommended the short-listing of Sheasham Investments, Casas Properties and Wackdrive Pvt Ltd for the tender because of their qualifications as required by the tender advert.

Council’s Procurement Management Unit Committee headed by Chikwekwe approved the recommendation by the Technical Evaluation Committee on July 3, 2020, recommending that the tender be submitted to the Special Procurement Oversight Committee.

As Gweru City Council’s accounting officer, Chikwekwe submitted the tender documents to the Procurement Oversight Committee for review on July 29, 2020.

Chikwekwe, it is further alleged, was supposed to get clearance from the Special Procurement Oversight Committee with regard to the documents he had submitted for a review on July 29, 2020.

Chikwekwe, however, proceeded to award contracts to the three bidders on August 18, 2020 without clearance from the Special Procurement Oversight Committee breaching Section 94 (3) of the Public Asserts Act (General) Regulations of Statutory Instrument 5 of 2018 which seeks for certification by the Procurement Oversight Committee before giving a contract to winning bidders.

The State says Chikwekwe acted inconsistently or contrary to his duties as an accounting officer for the local authority by going on to award the land developers without clearance from the Special Procurement Oversight Committee.

It alleges that he showed favour to the three while shutting out the other companies who applied for the same tender to service Mkoba 21 stands.