Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) officials who were scheduled to appear before the Parliament Public Accounts Committee on Friday have requested for more time to prepare for the meeting.

ZEC is alleged to have entered into a deal with businessmen Wicknell Chivhayo in which charges were allegedly inflated, a case which has also snared tycoons Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu.

The case was prompted by a leaked recording of a conversation between Chivayo and his former business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe that suggested that the trio was involved in a deal with a South African company, Ren-Form CC, worth over US$40 million, for the supply of election material to ZEC ahead of the 23 August 2023 general elections.

Acting as agents on ZEC’s behalf, the three allegedly inflated invoices but later fell out over sharing of the loot.

Kuwadzana East Member of Parliament and Parliament Public Accounts Committee chairperson, Charlton Hwende told journalists that ZEC only notified at the eleventh hour that they will not be able to come for the enquiry into the matter, prompting the meeting to be moved to next week.

“I have just been informed by the Parliamentary committee administration that ZEC has communicated with them saying they cannot appear because they still need more time to get information from their provincial offices. We have accepted that because we want to give them ample time to come and appear. So we have shifted the inquiry to next Friday,” he said.

The Committee had summoned ZEC for questioning over the alleged tender.

New Ziana