via Jail PSMAS ‘looting’ health minister, MDC-T – NewZimbabwe 17/11/2015
OPPOSITION legislator, Eddie Cross, on Tuesday challenged President Robert Mugabe to sack ministers and permanent secretaries accused of looting the struggling state-run Premier Medical Aid Society (PSMAS).
The MDC-T parliamentarian told Parliament that close to $119 million in PSMAS cash was used to pay senior staff massive salaries and other benefits with the connivance of ministers and the permanent secretaries.
Health minister, David Parirenyatwa, along with Labour counterpart, Prisca Mupfumira – who oversee the institution – were accused of allowing corruption at PSMAS which has brought the insurer close to collapse.
Parirenyatwa, a medical doctor, has also been at the centre of controversy after he was paid $100,000 for treating PSMAS members when he was owed just $23,000.
“We have David Parirenyatwa minister of health and Prisca Mupfumira, minister of Labour and Public Service, who are responsible for running the affairs of PSMAS,” Cross said.
“We have reports that Parirenyatwa who is a doctor was given $100 000 by PSMAS under unclear circumstances.”
He added: “We want him (health minister) to come to Parliament together with Mupfumira to explain what was happening to PSMAS.
“George Charamba, who is the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Media and Information and Presidential spokesperson benefited huge amounts of money he received as a board member of PSMAS.
“This also applies to Constance Chigwamba, Permanent Secretary of Primary and Secondary Education, who received over $ 100 000 each. We want them to resign as it tantamount to corruption on what they have done.”
The MDC-T official added that government should immediately start the prosecution of all those who benefited from the PSMAS scandal and take action to recover funds paid to individuals who were “unjustly enriched”.
“We have to investigate the role of the board that was in charge of PSMAS at the time of this abuse,” said Cross.
“Prosecution should also be extended to former Board mmbers, cinluding Cuthbert Dube, who is the former Chief Executive of PSMAS.”
Cross said the top government officials received the money at a time when PSMAS with a membership of over 200,000 who are mostly civil servants was failing to pay service providers and other creditors on time.
He said those affected by the insurer’s financial problems were civil servants who were unable to access medical services.
COMMENTS
Its a mafia government. Always devising means & ways of stealing from the people.
Mugabe’s government never establish and/or legislate anything for good of proclaimed group and/or country. It’s always about stealing from the poor bhy the zanu pf elite and/or next election.
Think of NSSA, PSMAS, so-called Community Trusts, literally all Parastatals, etc.
Its all about “rob the poor & get richer and richer while it lasts & ensure they remain perpetual pupas whom can be easily bribed with opaque beer (masese)and nzondora dzehuku at every other election”. That’s the Mugabe_zanu pf strategy – theft & staying in power till end of time (“till donkeys grow horns”, according to them).
Mugabe likes to see himself as an African Robin Hood.
I recall however that Robin stole from the rich and gave to the poor, with Mugabe it is the other way around.
A looting continua, a victoria e certa.
It’s a waste of time to challenge to Mugabe to have somebody arrested over corruption.
Mugabe is the godfather of all corruption and all this corruption has got his endorsement and therefore nothing will be done.
Starting way back with Willowgate nothing was done then and as long as he is on the helm nothing will be done hence he wants to stay there and die there.
Infact people have been promoted after ‘showing off’ how corrupt they are.