HCC to apologise to Econet 

Source: HCC to apologise to Econet – DailyNews Live

Letwin Nyambayo      20 September 2018

HARARE – The Harare City Council (HCC) has said it will apologise to
Zimbabwe’s largest mobile telephone company Econet Wireless after
municipal officials attempted to steal humanitarian aid meant to stem
Zimbabwe’s deadliest cholera outbreak in a decade.

Econet founder and executive chairperson Strive Masiyiwa blew the whistle
on the attempted fraud after the telecommunications giant had pumped $10
million to contain the outbreak of cholera that has so far killed 32
people, mostly in the capital, Harare.

Masiyiwa – who overcame protracted government opposition to launch mobile
phone network Econet Wireless in 1998 – had responded to a crowd funding
campaign launched by new Finance minister Mthuli Ncube on microblogging
site Twitter to contain the rampaging outbreak, being fuelled by
contaminated water and collapsing infrastructure.

The disgusted billionaire took to social media to express disappointment
on the attempted fraud of humanitarian aid.

“One of the saddest things that happened last week when Econet announced
that it had set aside $10 million to help with support to buy medicines
and materials, was the number of suppliers and even officials in some of
the affected municipalities who tried to defraud our company by offering
things at highly inflated prices. Gloves worth $3 were suddenly worth $65.
That is just pathetic.

“I have told my people to prepare lists of anyone who wilfully tries to
exploit the situation. After this crisis is over, we will go after them on
this platform, naming and shaming them,” he tweeted.

After the 57-year-old businessman expressed outrage, HCC quickly posted on
its Twitter page that it had suspended four of its officials suspected of
inflating prices for goods and services to be used in the fight against
cholera.

The Zimbabwean businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist’s post went
viral, attracting unprecedented public opprobrium.

Econet – one of the largest companies on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in
terms of market capitalisation – is the largest provider of
telecommunications services, providing solutions in mobile and fixed
wireless telephony, public payphones, Internet access and payment
solutions.

Harare mayor Herbert Gomba told the Daily News that council takes full
responsibility for the regrettable attempted fraud of a company with a
Christian-based vision and mission and a broad strategy for social and
community investment, run under the “Econet in the Community” banner.

“We intend to write to Masiyiwa,” a remorseful Gomba said.

“Collectively council is responsible but individually those suspended are
responsible. So, as the mayor, I have considered writing to him,
apologising and stating what
happened.”

Gomba said council “intends to set up a special committee to look into
what happened, what is currently happening, the pricing, the quality, the
supply of the goods bought and whether it all conforms to the procedures
of council and the procedures of the State procurement regulatory
authority of Zimbabwe.”

He said there are still ongoing investigations on the four suspended
officials.

“We suspended four officials from the Harare Water department procurement
division and these are Philimon Rwafa a procurement and stores officer,
Smart Mhuka a buyer, Tawanda Marange a cadex clerk and Tafadzwa Reza a
buyer.

“Allegations are that they inflated the prices for the materials that were
supposed to be bought for cholera.

“Investigations are ongoing and we will look at what they did and what
items they had inflated,” he said.

It is not immediately clear if criminal charges will be preferred against
the fraud-accused officials.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing minister July Moyo
said donors should not be discouraged by the conduct of the four but
continue to come through.

Government has declared a state of emergency that has seen the ban of
public gatherings, closure of some schools around the epicentre of Glen
View, and also banned the sale of meat and fish by vendors in affected
areas, said the new Health minister, Obadiah Moyo.

Police are enforcing the ban to the hilt.

Moyo slammed the fraud and vowed to halt the theft of humanitarian aid by
corrupt municipal officials.

“Immediate action was taken, and fortunately we know them. We are glad
that the system caught those who were trying to be mischievous,” a
tough-talking Moyo said.

“We are now alert that there are some people who have wrong intentions on
the cholera funds.”

This is not the first-time officials have taken advantage of the cholera
fund. When cholera struck Zimbabwe in 2008- 2009, the international
community cried foul over their resources being abused as their monies
were not accounted for and fatalities increased among those infected. At
least 4 000 were killed during that era.

The incubation period for cholera, which spreads through ingestion of
faecal matter and causes acute watery diarrhoea, is a matter of hours.
Once symptoms start, it can kill within hours unless the patient receives
treatment.

The World Health Organisation has rolled out an emergency treatment
programme, based on the vestiges of Zimbabwe’s shattered health system, to
try to catch new cases early and stop the explosive spread of the disease.