THE Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) has moved to stop the infighting fuelled by the Chiadzwa Community Share Ownership Trust (CCSOT) US$1,2m disbursement amid disharmony among members over the alleged abuse of funds.
ZCDC called for an emergency meeting at a local hotel in Mutare this week which was attended by Trust members, MPs, traditional leaders, non-governmental organisations, among others.
Government has channelled US$1,2m windfall through (ZCDC) to the Chiadzwa villagers for community projects.
The meeting comes after NewsDay recently exposed the Trust’s chief executive officer Hardwork Mukwada for allegedly abusing the funds without the knowledge of other board members.
Mukwada was accused of inflating prices of projects to be undertaken in the community.
The community reportedly wanted Mukwada to be arrested.
ZCDC bosses attended the meeting including Chief Bernard Marange.
Mukwada allegedly inflated the cost of drilling boreholes saying contractors needed US$100 000 yet the actual cost was US$40 000.
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In an interview with NewsDay Weekender after the meeting ZCDC corporate affairs executive Sugar Chagonda said the meeting was to iron out the differences.
“The meeting was between ZCDC and Chiadzwa Community Share Ownership Trust among other stakeholders to discuss and locate each other in view of the support we have given to the community where we have paid a dividend,” Chagonda said.
“We wanted to gather if we were sailing in the same boat and we managed to do that. We received some reports of people pointing fingers at each other and there was a lot of speculation and we have managed to solve that and I believe they are now on the same page.”
He said US$1,2 million funds will be deposited directly into accounts of service providers.
“We are a State-owned company and we will follow tenets of good corporate governance,” he added.
Mutare West MP Nyasha Marange (Zanu PF) who is the organising secretary of the Trust was excited after it was resolved in the meeting that every project was going to be undertaken through minutes of board members.
“We were encountering problems with one of our members, Hardwork Mukwada, who took money from the Trust without the knowledge of other board members and this was resolved that everything we do, we should have minutes of the board and resolutions,” he said.
“We said no to over pricing of the projects and we need to put our house in order and have people driven projects at heart,” he added.
Marange vowed to stand for the people and stop the abuse of the funds.
Mukwada in the meeting was told to leave monetary issues to treasurer general Headman Mutsago.
Mutsago had earlier exposed Mukwada for opening a separate account without the knowledge of some board members.
