Two weeks after Energy Minister Fortune Chasi directed the ZESA board to investigate corruption allegations against the entity’s CEO Sydney Gata, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has stepped in and suspended both Gata and the board.

The investigations into corrupt activities are now being handled by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

Chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda announced the suspension of the board in a statement yesterday.

“The ZACC chairperson, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, was asked to immediately undertake thorough investigations into the following issues: The allegations levelled against the executive chairman by Energy and Power Development Minister Advocate Fortune Chasi.

“Any other underlying corrupt activities bedevilling Zesa board members and the electricity sector as a whole.

“His Excellency the President expects ZACC to complete its investigations as well as table its report on the findings within four weeks,” reads part of the statement.

Some the issues being investigated include:

– the allocation of five company vehicles for Dr. Gata’s personal use;
the alleged interference in a disciplinary hearing involving Mrs. Norah Tsomomdo,

– the alleged transactions involving Tuli and a trust, whose registration and ownership is unknown to the Ministry; the issue concerning the four consultants for whom Cabinet Authority was sought to travel to South Africa for a study tour at Eskom. There is need to establish whether or Towards Energy Reliability not these individuals are on ZESA’s payroll and if not, the basis upon which they were engaged.