The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has castigated the recent report tabled by the chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, Justice Mayor Wadyejenana calling for a police investigation on its chairman, Tafadzwa Musarara for allegedly failing to account for funds allocated by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Wadyejena recently presented a report recommending the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to investigate GMAZ chairman Tafadzwa Musarara for embezzling US$28.2 million availed by RBZ to procure wheat in 2019.
Musarara earlier told Parliament that GMAZ imported wheat amounting to US$ 26.2 million although documents availed to the committee by the RBZ showed that US$ 28.2 was availed.
Musarara later stated that the wheat in question was imported through his company, Drotsky Pvt Ltd and not GMAZ.
However, following its national executive meeting, GMAZ said due procedure was followed during procurement of the wheat.
“GMAZ fully recognises and respects the processes of parliament of Zimbabwe and other related institutions. The Association is deeply saddened by and concerned with the contents by the Parliamentary Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development tabled in on Thursday the 4th of November 2021.
“The decision to import wheat as a collective was proper and no participating wheat miller was prejudiced. All Millers who participated received their wheat stock in full. Millers populated their local deposits into a GMAZ bank accounts and procured their foreign currency to pay supplier.
“We accounted for all forex allocated to Millers for the period between the first of January 2015 to 11 March 2019 as requested in a letter written to GMAZ by Clerk of Parliament dated 13 March 2019. This amounts to Circa USD 26 million. The Wheat was procured on an unsecured loan facility by our lead negotiator, the chairman Tafadzwa Musarara. The supplier made Drotsky Pvt limited a consignee. Drotsky Pvt Ltd which is owned by the chairman also participated in the facility like any other wheat miller,” said GMAZ.
GMAZ has accused the committee of bias and called for a new hearing.
“If it pleases the Clerk of Parliament in light of how badly we were treated as evidenced by the numerous letters of complaints we wrote to him. We beg that the whole process should be started de novo (over again) under a different Portfolio Chairmanship. We believe that Parliament will not be prejudiced as this is a matter of public interest which should be adjudicated fairly,” said the millers
