Minister Ncube cracks whip

Tateguru TV Writer
Government will not be paying criminally overstated quotations and invoices, originally designed to prejudice the taxpayer.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said Government controls picked up anomalies in some of the contracts which were awarded.
“Government has noted with concern pricing of goods and services offered by suppliers to Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as Parastatals and Local Authorities,” said Minister Ncube.
Minister Ncube said the exorbitant pricing was born out of forward pricing behaviour and parallel market benchmarking.
According to Minister Ncube, some suppliers were using an exchange rate of ZWL$2000 per United States dollar.
“It has been noted that MDAs through the various procurement management units, have not been exercising due diligence, especially regarded the value for money in terms of pricing. They have merely following procurement rules without due regard to established value for money practices already enshrined in the Procurement laws of the country,” Minister Ncube said.
Minister Ncube said the procurement fail almost saw Government paying scandalous amounts for goods given to them.
“Some examples are a tender for laptops which purportedly cost close to USD10 000 each which is way above general market prices for high specification laptops, whilst in other spheres a 2kg pack of chicken was claimed to be worth USD30 when market prices is a maximum USD6 for the same,” said Minister Ncube.
These prices are part of what is making Government budgeting inadequate according to Minister Ncube.
In his recent column in The Sunday Mail, President Mnangagwa said those who are prejudicing Government through procurement fraud will be held criminally liable.
This means after the exposure of malpractice, law enforcement agencies may swoop on Government departments.