The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) has suspended nine employees deployed at various tollgates across the country for allegedly engaging in fraudulent activities.
According to a ZINARA internal communique from the risk and loss control unit to members of staff, the unit identified suspicious conduct at some tolling sites resulting in the suspensions.
ZINARA’s head of corporate communication and marketing Tsungie Manyeza confirmed the development to NewsDay. She said:
As a rejuvenating brand, the new ZINARA is leaving no stone unturned in flushing out all forms of vices that negatively impact our revenue collection mandate.
The strengthening of our controls is fast yielding results in plugging revenue leakages in our systems.
We are taking a hardline stance against all forms of fraud and we have a robust procedure in place to close off the loopholes.
Meanwhile, our partnership with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in the forming of the integrity committee has also yielded positive results whose role has gone a long way in plugging leakages.
Manyeza also urged members of the public to assist in plugging revenue leakages by reporting suspicious transactions. She said:
We aim to improve customer experience at all levels of our operations and we always encourage customers to get receipts as proof of payment for all the transactions they do.
We also encourage them to check that the motor vehicle details on their receipts are correct.
In December 2021, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo said ZINARA, the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID), and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) were the most corrupt state departments.
Last month, a ZINARA licensing officer Patricia Chikorwe, stationed at the Harare Exhibition Park Branch, was sentenced to three years in jail after she was convicted of 258 counts of criminal abuse of office for manipulating the vehicle licensing system, resulting in a loss of potential revenue of US$168,458 for ZINARA.
In February last year, the ZACC arrested 12 ZINARA employees for fraud involving $9,8 million after they created fake tap cards which they swiped for motorists at the Shurugwi tollgate.
Source Pindula News
