Harare – Finance Secretary George Guvamatanga failed to appear before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday, marking his second consecutive absence and prompting lawmakers to consider issuing summons to compel his attendance.
Kuwadzana MP Charlton Hwende, the committee’s chairperson, stated that Guvamatanga has been given a final opportunity to appear before the panel this Friday.
Failure to comply, Hwende warned, would result in immediate legal summons.
“We have give the secretary and his team a final chance to appear on Friday. We’re preparing summons through the office of the Clerk of Parliament, and if they don’t come, summons will be issued immediately on Friday,” Hwende said.
The committee also intends to summon finance minister Mthuli Ncube to address concerns regarding procedural irregularities in public financial management.
Monday’s session was meant to review the Auditor General’s 2023 annual report, with a particular focus on US$400 million in Treasury payments made directly to suppliers, bypassing relevant ministries.
Among the beneficiaries was Ren-Form CC, a South African firm controversially awarded contracts to supply election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) without a competitive tender process.
South African financial records reveal that Ren-Form received over R1.2 billion from Zimbabwe’s Treasury, with R800 million allegedly funneled into accounts linked to Wicknell Chivayo, a businessman with political ties who has previously faced accusations of bribing officials to secure government contracts.
The committee has further demanded that Guvamatanga provide documentation on direct payments to: Fertilisers Seed Grain (FSG), Ziminya Dam Construction, Ventures Borehole & Exploration, Makomo Engineering, Semwa Dam, Nyika Kanengoni & Partners (a law firm representing ZEC), which received US$600,000.
Hwende emphasized that these transactions appear to violate the Public Finance Management Act, which mandates that supplier payments be processed by respective ministries in accordance with their budgetary allocations.
Instead, the finance ministry has centralized payments, raising allegations of favoritism and corruption, as Guvamatanga unilaterally determines payment prioritization.