PAUL Tempter Tungwarara, the presidential investment adviser, is a busy man.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa last year appointed the businessman special presidential investment adviser to the United Arab Emirates with immediate effect.
He was appointed for a two-year term, which is renewable.
Since the appointment, Tungwarara has criss-crossed the length and breadth of the country, launching empowerment programmes.
And in the process, his companies have bagged lucrative contracts — the State House multi-million-dollar precast wall tender, the presidential borehole drilling scheme and the presidential solar project.
Now, his company has been awarded another contract. It partnered government in a programme that will service 50 000 residential stands for veterans of the country’s liberation struggle.
The exercise, according to War Veterans minister Monica Mavhunga, is part of a government thrust to build “sustainable communities where war veterans and their families can thrive”.
This is sweet music to the ears of the war veterans who have in the past fought running battles with government over welfare issues. They argued that they were getting the short end of the stick at a time when their colleagues in government were being pampered.
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The Mnangagwa administration has also unveiled a US$1,5 million presidential war veterans fund being spearheaded by Tungwarara. Under the scheme, each of the country’s 10 provinces will get US$150 000 for war veterans to set up projects. The purse is tipped to increase if the money is put to good use.
Tungwarara is also championing a project to build rural homes for war veterans.
All these presidential projects dovetail with Mnangagwa’s thrust of leaving no one and no place behind.
But behind that drive to leave no one and no place behind the question of transparency has arisen.
How were Tungwarara’s companies chosen to undertake the mega projects? Did they participate in competitive bidding processes or were they handpicked? These are serious questions that need answers, more so if the exercise involves public funds. There is no way such projects can be financed without the involvement of the taxpayers, who will pick up the bills.
The use of public funds demands greater transparency to ensure every cent is put to good use.
Section 9 of the Constitution mandates the State to adopt and implement policies and legislation to develop efficiency, competence, accountability, transparency, personal integrity and financial probity in all institutions and agencies of government at every level and in every public institution.
It exhorts the State to take measures to expose, combat and eradicate all forms of corruption and abuse of power by those holding political and public offices.
In the absence of a transparent selection process, critics will say the projects are being awarded to Tungwarara because of his position as presidential investment adviser.
No ministry would dare go against the presidential adviser, they will say.
We are not alone in this quest for transparency. Last month, Lupane West MP Charles Sibanda requested that Finance minister Mthuli Ncube make a ministerial statement advising the House on the evaluation reports on these presidential programmes on how they achieve their desired goals and objectives.
Tungwarara’s companies will likely prevail in future empowerment projects on the strength of the contracts they have bagged.
