Source: Chivayo faces Parly grilling – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 12, 2018
BUSINESSMAN Wicknell Chivayo will appear in Parliament today for grilling over his company, Intratrek’s alleged $7 million shady solar project.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy is set to quiz Chivayo over issues to do with a $7 million shady Gwanda solar project deal.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
Chivayo, who is Intratrek managing director, is expected to appear before the Temba Mliswa-led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy to explain how Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) executives awarded him the tender and went on to pay him the full amount before implementation of the project.
Recently, ZPC board chairperson Stanley Kazhanje told the committee that Chivayo was in fact paid $7 million, instead of the $5 million for the Gwanda solar project.
Energy minister Simon Khaya Moyo also appeared before the committee and declared that heads would roll at Zesa Holdings over corrupt deals.
Moyo disclosed that former Energy minister Samuel Undenge had authorised Chivayo’s shady deals.
“Heads are going to roll, and the Chivayo-Gwanda solar project has been a matter of interest to many people and was brought up in Cabinet and later we heard that a directive came from the former Energy minister Undenge to the ZPC board to award the contract to Intratrek (Chivayo’s company),” Moyo told MPs when he appeared before the committee last month.
Moyo has already ordered an audit to be carried out to thoroughly investigate the issues in question.
Chivayo’s issue was also raised during former President Robert Mugabe’s impeachment motion, where MPs said the former Zanu PF strongman turned a blind eye to corruption during his tenure.
There were also reports that initially Chivayo had inflated the costs of the Gwanda solar project to $200 million, resulting in Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa writing to ZPC to revise the cost structure.
Chivayo moved away from the project site last year, when he had already been paid the $7 million. It appears that he was given a nod to get paid the amount without a board decision.
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