Source: ZimStats fails to account for $28m: AG – DailyNews Live
Bridget Mananavire 29 June 2017
HARARE – A report by Auditor-General (AG) Mildred Chiri has exposed
serious loopholes at the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat)
which failed to account for $28 million used during the 2012 national
census – amid concerns over veracity of suppliers’ invoices and suspicious
registers of participants who claimed expenses during the exercise.
The damning report described lax management of some of the millions of
dollars designated for the census, conducted by ZimStat with support from
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
“I noted instances of unvouched expenditure in some entities and ZimStat
could not support census expenditure amounting to $28 million.
“I could not satisfy myself of the accuracy, completeness and validity
of population census expenditure amounting to $45 480 731 and related
accounts payable amounting to $24 080 205 disclosed in the financial
statements due to the following.
“Expenditure amounting to $29 739 909 (for field allowances, food,
accommodation and training expenses) for the population census
participants was not adequately supported. The agency failed to avail
adequate evidence such as attendance registers for the 40 438 individuals
who had participated in the census. There was no database or schedules
with detailed and requisite information of the participants,” said Chiri
in her report released last Wednesday.
Chiri’s national report has exposed serious rot at State enterprises and
parastatals – re-igniting debate on President Robert Mugabe’s government’s
apparent lack of appetite to act on her findings.
On her findings at the ZimStat, the AG unearthed so many irregularities
which did not tally with the millions of dollars released for the national
census.
“There was no database with requisite information of the participants,
indicating details of their age, sex, residential address, occupation,
employer and employment number.
“These lists only showed the name of the centre, the name of the
participant, national registration number, signature and amount signed
for. A population census is an important national exercise and the
maintenance of a database of the participants is essential,” Chiri said.
The State agency could also not provide supporting evidence to justify
expenditure of $15 million on cars hired by participants of the census.
“Vehicle hire and rental expenditure amounting to $15 740 822 was not
adequately supported. Supporting schedules of rental and car hire expenses
from the agency’s provincial offices were not availed. Details of the
hired vehicles including their makes, registration numbers, mileages and
accumulated hiring cost per vehicle were also not availed for my
verification,” she added.
In response, the ZimStat management said although they had not availed the
registers required by Chiri, they had evidence to support the expenditure
saying they will further put systems in place to capture details of
participants and come up with a national database.
“Yes, at the time of audit, management did not provide all the attendance
registers for participants. However, out of a total of 96 level four
training centres, management availed registers for 79 centres.
“In future, the agency will come up with a Census Implementation Plan
(CIP) that will contain, among other things, modalities on registers
maintenance and standardisation. All names of those seconded to the census
were provided by the various government ministries under authority from
Public Service Commission,’ said ZimStat.
“Conference and workshops rentals $13 567 072, vehicle hire $ 1 439 503.
Total $15 006 576. Conferencing and workshop rental expenses were incurred
for training of trainers (level one to three), Inter- Ministerial
Technical Census Committee (ITCC) conferencing workshops and the main
training of enumerators (level four) (that is, cost for food,
accommodation and other required necessary facilities covering the period
from January 01 to August 17, 2012).
“Management sub-contracted (hired) the CMED to provide vehicles for the
enumeration phase and a total amount of $1,2 million was paid for vehicle
hiring services,’ it added.
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