Page 7 - DMEA Week 22 2022

DMEA POLICY & SECURITY DMEA

Zimbabwe labour union demands

fuel import chief be investigated

AFRICA A Zimbabwean labour union has demanded a NewsHawks reported on May 22, citing the
corruption probe into the dealings of the chief workers’ letter.
executive of the National Oil Infrastructure “Matukeni changed this system . . . This
Company (NOIC) of Zimbabwe, which runs the means most clients were being shortchanged
country’s sole liquid fuels importation pipeline and NOIC would record huge gains or surpluses
and associated storage facilities. at the end of the month.”
The Zimbabwe Allied and Petroleum Work- This, ZIPAWU said, means the trucks deliver
ers Union (ZIPAWU) demand follows a filing by less fuel than actually paid for. NOIC then makes
its secretary-general, Panganai Chiota, regarding surpluses that, the letter says, the boss diverts
companies allegedly built up and run by NOIC and sells for personal gain. The workers union
head Wilfred Matukeni using corruptly acquired also claims that a company Matukeni owns gets
resources. preferential treatment in fuel allocations.
Chiota submitted information about the In the latest letter, a copy of which NewZim-
companies to both the Zimbabwe Anti-Corrup- babwe says it has obtained, ZIPAWU wrote: “We
tion Commission (ZACC) and the President’s write to submit further information on top of
Office. On May 22, two independent publica- our letter dated May 3, 2022. Matukeni’s logistics
tions, The Standard and NewsHawks, published company, which we suspect to be fraudulently
the first dossier, dated May 3, indicating how benefitting from NOIC, is called Bauxim Logis-
Matukeni allegedly pocketed $143,000 meant tics, founded on September 1 2015. The active
for payment of overtime for 42 workers, sacking directors are Hazvineyi Matukeni and Revai
them after they demanded their money. Chingombe”.
That dossier also exposed how Matukeni The workers union also alleged that another
allegedly ordered NOIC to manipulate temper- company, Bauxim Logistics was founded on
ature readings of lorries delivering fuel to retail May 28, 2018, in neighbouring South Africa,
outlets. Fuel responds to temperature changes, where the active directory is also Hazvineyi
expanding when it rises and contracting when Matukeni. ZACC has confirmed it is investigat-
it drops. ing Matukeni.
“In the past, the temperature would be taken Zimbabwe and Mozambique jointly own
for every truck compartment when loading the 287km pipeline that moves fuel from Beira,
to determine the actual quantity dispatched. a port in Mozambique to Harare, Zimbabwe’s
This ensured that clients get the actual quanti- capital. The 6mn litre/day pipe supplies 90% of
ties and potential losses or gains are recorded,” Zimbabwe’s diesel and petrol needs.™

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