Kasukuwere fails to account for $40K Youth Games funds

Source: Kasukuwere fails to account for $40K Youth Games funds | The Herald June 12, 2017

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
Embattled Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere’s younger brother Mr Stanley Kasukuwere has been accused of looting $40 000 disbursed by Government for the Zimbabwe National Youth Games held in Bindura in April. The senior Kasukuwere is battling to cleanse his name after nine of 10 Zanu-PF provinces rejected him on account of fomenting divisions in the ruling party and creating parallel structures with a view to toppling President Mugabe.

Information gathered by The Herald showed that NMB Bank and other charity organisations paid for the trophies that were given to the winners and food for athletes and the $40 000 that was disbursed by the Sports and Recreation Commission cannot be accounted for.

Further, several service providers who were supposed to be paid from the Government grant are yet to be paid and Stanley, who was the chief executive officer for the games, insisted that those who rendered services had done so voluntarily.

But, the service providers shot down his assertions, saying they were only volunteers in the sense that they had no binding contracts with Government, but they still had to be paid for services rendered.

Those that are yet to be paid include those who supplied tents, chairs, a public address system, décor and sign language providers.

Ms Judith Hove, who was the chairperson of the Government committee coordinating the games, has since released a statement outlining the challenges they encountered during the games, including non-payment of service providers.

“The enlisted service providers are now being denied their monies by the chief executive officer of the Paralympic Games 2017, Mr Stan Kasukuwere,” she said in the statement.

“The reason he is citing is that the protocol department headed by Ms Hove implemented her own decisions. Otherwise, he (Mr Stan Kasukuwere) had his own people whom he would have engaged to provide services on the games for non-payment.

“Despite numerous apologies on the Paralympic platform, his inbox, through the phone as head of protocol department, Mr Kasukuwere has refused to sign payment for the protocol service providers.”

Mashonaland Central province Senator Annah Shiri confirmed receiving reports relating to the abuse of money during the games, adding that Government had already instituted an audit into the matter.

“I received complaints relating to that matter and I referred them to Provincial Minister of State Advocate Martin Dinha in his capacity as the custodian of the games,” she said.

“I understand that $40 000 was disbursed, but I don’t have evidence relating to how it was used. We are waiting for the audit to tell us.”

Mashonaland Central provincial administrator Mr Cosmos Chiringa said complaints about the abuse of the money also reached his office, but referred further questions to Mr Kasukuwere, saying he was the one in charge of the games in his capacity as the CEO.

“It was his mandate to coordinate the games,” he said. “We received those complaints and I have communicated with the CEO of the games. All the money that came from the SRC was deposited into an account where the CEO was a signatory.

“He is the best person to ask about that.”

In his defence, Mr Kasukuwere said: “Mai Hove jumped protocol. The games were not about making money. People come to the games as volunteers. We only received $40 000 from SRC against our budget of $400 000. We worked for nothing.”

Mr Kasukuwere said the $40 000 that came from SRC was used to pay tokens to those who participated in the games and other technical people whom he did not specify.

He did not also give a breakdown of the $400 000 they had budgeted.

Mr Kasukuwere said everything was done on voluntary basis, saying Nyaradzo Funeral Services provided tents for free, so was the Central Mechanical Engineering Department which provided vehicles.

Sources privy to the organisation of the games said: “Mr Kasukuwere diverted the money that came from Government to his personal use.”