– Same minister involved in the failed USD5,2bln diesel from coal project, behind the expenditure

By Farai D Hove| One would expect point of sale software that is wired to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Zimra, not a ministerial government office, and worse still, the President’s Office –  The Zimbabwean government has blown over USD300,000 just so Emmerson Mnangagwa can monitor all fuel stations around the country.

The development comes despite criticism of Mnangagwa now publicly labelled the nation’s most notorious fuel-cartel-warlord. When he held a whole press conference to announce fuel price increases on the 14th January 2019, a task too junior for a clerk in the Ministry Of Energy all that criticism was not enough to discourage him. As if all that criticism he received back then was not enough, Mnangagwa’s administration has gone ahead to invest in a special software so he can control all petrol stations around the country. 

The revelations are contained in a state media news release in which while it was reported that the fuel monitoring system is an initiative of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, the same report said the software’s wiring will be centralised to state house.

The new fuel monitoring management system which is being developed by Matsimba Technology will monitor fuel at individual garages, transmitting the data to the office of the president in real-time, the report said. 

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira was quoted by The Sunday Mail saying that the released funds will help make the project possible.

“The development of the fuel monitoring system is an initiative of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.

“The Ministry of Finance (and Economic Development) has now released US$300 000 to start the project,” said Prof Murwira.

Orinically Murwira is the same minister behind the failed diesel from coal USD5,2billion project investigated by ZimEye earlier this year.