GMB Aspindale manager arrested
GRAIN Marketing Board (GMB) Aspindale’s supply chain manager, Safuli Zhoya, has appeared in court charged with criminal abuse of duty.
He is accused of selling 50kg of compound D fertilisers valued at US$32 a bag for US$1 each.
Zhoya appeared before magistrate Mrs Marewanazvo Gofa and was released on US$200 bail.
The complainant is the State, being represented by Sheunesu Mapondera, who is employed by GMB as the provincial enterprise risk officer.
The State, represented by Rufaro Chonzi, alleged that on May 9, while in the course of his duties, Zhoya secured a buyer for 599 x 50kg bags of Compound D Superfert fertiliser. However, there were no fertiliser stocks at the GMB Aspindale depot, so the buyer was to collect the fertiliser from the GMB Mt Hampden depot after being issued with a receipt.
The State alleged that Zhoya verbally instructed the GMB Aspindale Depot Clerk, Moleen Nyakudanga, to raise a receipt for the buyer and indicate that the fertiliser was written off and was to be collected at GMB Mt Hampden, with the buyer being Madamara Investments Private Limited.
Zhoya further instructed the GMB Aspindale depot assistant manager, Bright Tembo to go and deposit the US$600, which was paid in cash for the 599 x 50 kg bags of Compound D Superfert fertiliser, into the GMB FBC Bank Account Number 4815095020851.
Tembo complied with Zhoya’s instruction. Upon his return from making the deposit, Tembo handed over the FBC Bank Deposit slip to Nyakudanga, who then raised a receipt, number 198982, which indicated that Madamara Investments had bought 599 x 50 kg bags of Compound D Superfert written off fertiliser from GMB.
The receipt was then handed over to the buyer’s representative, who was not identified by name.
Again, as per Zhoya’s instruction, Emmanuel Shamiso Makondo escorted the buyer to GMB Mt Hampden Depot to collect the purported written-off fertiliser.
Upon arrival at Mt Hampden GMB Depot, Emmanuel Shamiso Makondo engaged the incoming Mt Hampden depot supply chain manager, Madeline Nyere, who questioned the sale and engaged the outgoing manager, Lee Kwenje, who told her that he did not know of the development.
Nyere made verifications on the ground and established that the purportedly written-off fertiliser was still in good condition and there were no written-off certificates or Stock Disposal Certificate for the same batch of fertiliser.
Nyere went to the GMB Head office and engaged Wonderful Chidhaura, who is the GMB operations officer and the one responsible for filing the written-off and stock disposal certificates and it was further established that there was no record of the written-off stock.
Further investigations revealed that the purported written-off fertiliser was stored at Mt Hampden for no other purpose than to exchange it with grain from farmers.
It was also established that the fertiliser was priced at US$32 per bag upon being received in the GMB system and by the time of sale by Zhoya, nothing had been done by the GMB to alter the price.
As part of his bail conditions, Zhoya was ordered not to visit the two GMB branches involved in the case and to report once a week at the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission offices.
