Protest outfit ROHR(Restoration of Human Rights) members in Zimbabwe say the organisation is nothing more than a private purse for the leader Ephraim Tapa and his family. Mass-revolt is boiling up from within.
Four years ago, Tapa was exposed for opening a personal ROHR bank account at the height of an embarrassing audit commissioned by committee members, the development which led to Tapa being booted, afterwhich he formed his own morph using that private bank account. He surreptitiously “took over” ROHR from the rightful founders who include Stendrick Zvorwadza and Grace Mupfurutsa.
After that members who later joined his baby NGO have since begun demanding secondary investigations to rip into Tapa’s conduct.
A message that has been doing the social media rounds over the past few days and now finally circulated to journalists reads in part: “these questions are directed to all Rohr members and Mr Tapa himself. We have made several recommendations on professionalising the organisation through a number of good corporate governance systems which have not been taken on board chief among them the opening of a bank account in Zim. The system of sending money through Western Union to your niece/daughter Locadia Tapa Muchunga for organisational purposes is not proper for a big movement like Rohr Zimbabwe as the system is prone to manipulation and cannot be properly audited or usage of funds followed up since on withdrawal the money is taken and kept in Budiriro at your daughter/Mukwasha’s residence until it is used up without any track.
 
Which brings us back the question of whether Rohr is a people’s movement or your family project. On numerous occasions you have instructed that money that is send to Zimbabwe be transferred to your personal bank account, be paid to several people, be given to a docile board member in Bulawayo who we have not yet seen and on all these occasions we have questioned your daughter and at one point yourself.  Your response was “it’s my personal money and no one can question me.” ”
The communication also queries why Mr Tapa comes to Zimbabwe “on countless occasions” (sic), driving hired vehicles and sleeping in expensive hotels and the role of a board member known as “Mr Muzenda”, who only appears to ROHR members when Tapa is in town.
Understandably, ordinary Zimbabwe-based members of ROHR are starting to feel used as they are requested to take part in demonstrations organised by other activist groups.Pictures of their participation are then sent to the UK. The Zimbabwe-based members of ROHR suspect that such pictures are being used to solicit for funds in the UK. They would not mind so much if the funds being solicited for using their pictures and their participation at these demonstrations were sent back to Zimbabwe, directly to the organisation’s structures rather than to Tapa’s niece/daughter. It is not clear how the funds are obtained in the UK. Mr Tapa himself, during his last visit to Zimbabwe (April 2016), said that a total of £10000 had been received for Zimbabwe. No one within ROHR’s Zimbabwean structures has seen any of this money.
It is also known that each UK branch was twinned with a Zimbabwean provincial counterpart. What is not known is how much money each branch has raised for its twin, and how much of that money has been sent over. “ All provincial structures and newly established districts feel there are being used by you and some of your close people in the UK to further your own personal interests and raise funds for your personal benefits without funding provincial activities. This must stop forthwith.”
There is also the issue of labour disputes, with office bearers demanding compensation for their services. It is understood that it was recommended by the Zimbabwe Chapter of ROHR that all office bearers sign a volunteer contract, but Tapa refused with no explanation. The Zimbabwe Chapter would also like it to be explained how Tapa, being an asylum seeker, manages to visit his native country so frequently. It is also being alleged that he meets CIO bosses and pays them huge sums of money on such visits.
The Zimbabwe Chapter has made the following demands:
1. That there be a full Board appointed in Zimbabwe not two people you and Mr Muzenda only
2. That the UK branches discuss their budgets with their twinned provinces, get authorised by board members and national office and send to the provinces as agreed for the agreed programs
3. That there be a bank account soon and no more funds send through Western Union.
4. That there be volunteer contracts for national and provincial office bearers
5. That an audit of all funds raised for Zimbabwe since August 2015 be done and sent to all provinces in the interests of transparency and accountability.
6. That UK branches have direct communication with their twinned branches in Zimbabwe
The message ends with the ominous: “Failure to meet these demands will be met with stiff resistance and demonstrations here in Zimbabwe.”