President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a General Notice 635 of 2023 that purportedly placed the procurement of certain goods in the health sector outside public scrutiny, a nullity.
Under the now nullified Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter 22:23], certain items in the health sector had been deemed of national interest and subject to the special procurement provisions.
In a statement on behalf of Mnangagwa, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. Misheck Sibanda, informed the public that the document was published without authorization and necessary signatures as is the norm.
“His Excellency the President, Dr. ED Mnangagwa, has been made aware of some document gazetted as General Notice 635 of 2023, purporting to place the procurement of certain goods outside public scrutiny, on grounds of “national interest”. Upon further investigations, it has- come to light that the so-called Government Gazetted Notice is a nullity, having been published without authorization, and without the signature of the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, as is the norm.
“While further investigations are underway, Government wishes to advise the public that, on the instruction of His Excellency the President, the document in question has been rescinded as it has no standing at law, in policy and in terms of set Government procedures. It thus should be disregarded. Government remains committed as ever to managing a transparent public procurement policy and process, as required by the laws of the country,” said Dr. Sibanda
The nullification of the document comes in the wake of serious condemnation of the proposed Statutory Instrument which had been viewed as a looting scheme by members of the opposition.
