Chidhakwa to appoint heads for ZCDC, MMCZ boards

Source: Chidhakwa to appoint heads for ZCDC, MMCZ boards | The Herald December 7, 2016

Abigail Mawonde Herald Correspondent—

Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa has assured Parliament he will appoint heads of boards for Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) and Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ).Professor Francis Gudyanga, the Mines and Mining Development Secretary, chairs the boards of the two parastatals.

This violates basic tenets of good corporate governance.

Minister Chidhakwa promised to appoint chairpersons for the ZCDC and MMCZ when he appeared before the committee on Monday.

This was after MDC-T Proportional Representation legislator Fanny Chirisa demanded to know how Prof Gudyanga was chairing the board. The board is supposed to report to the perm secretary.

“I would like to find out from the Minister how the Perm sec is balancing his role as Perm sec and acting CEO or acting board member in the ZCDC given that the roles are all demanding,” she said.

Minister Chidhakwa said he would look into the matter.

“The issue of the Permanent secretary acting on the two institutions, I think let us put it behind us. Let me undertake to ensure that he is not on the two (boards).

“It is only that when there is no board in an organisation in any ministry, not just the Ministry of Mines, the Perm sec takes over the responsibilities and that is what he had done,” he said.

“I think let me undertake to ensure that on ZCDC, we simply appoint somebody from the five that are already there while we wait for the appointment of the rest of them.

“We will appoint one of them to be the acting chairman of the board. So I will undertake to do that on the ZCDC.”

He said a temporary board will be appointed for the MMCZ.

“On MMCZ, give me time to appoint a three-month or six-month board of directors, which enables us to deal with the matters that we are dealing with under the MMCZ Act,” said Minister Chidhakwa.

Committee chairperson and Masvingo Urban legislator Dr Daniel Shumba advised the Minister to appoint a board that would serve its complete tenure.

“The MMCZ one does not have to be six months. It can be a board given a full mandate to run. They can come in knowing they are on the job.”