via Lafarge faces Parly contempt charges | The Herald February 10, 2016
Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe Private Limited risks contempt of Parliament charges after it failed to appear before a portfolio committee several times, including Thursday last week, to explain its indigenisation plans.
The cement-producing firm failed to appear before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment to give oral evidence on issues pertaining to its operations.
The committee wrote to the firm several times last year, but it failed to attend the committee meetings and legislators resolved to invoke Parliament’s standing orders and formally summon the company.
Committee chairperson Cde Justice Mayor Wadyajena confirmed the development.
“We met as a committee and resolved to summon Lafarge in terms of standing orders.
“This follows several times that we have invited it to come and give oral evidence,” said Cde Wadyajena, who is also Gokwe-Nembudziya National Assembly member.
According to letters sent to Lafarge, the committee wanted the firm to clarify its relationship with Brainworks Capital, a financial consultancy firm, among other issues.
“The purpose of the meeting is for you to shed light on the engagements you had with Brainworks Capital and the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board as part of efforts to ensure your organisation is in compliance with the 51:49 percent shareholdings,” read one of the letters sent to Lafarge in July 9 2015.
The letter indicated that Lafarge was initially supposed to appear before the committee on July 16 2015 but it failed to attend.
The meeting was rescheduled at Lafarge’s request to September 3 before another date of October 29 was made owing to failure by the firm to fulfil the fixture.
The last letter was written to Lafarge fixing Thursday as the day for the meeting but once again the cement producing firm failed to turn up.
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