By Rungano Dzikira

In line with Government’s pledge to weed out corruption in parastatals, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has suspended the entire ZESA board with immediate effect pending investigations by the anti-corruption board.

In a statement, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda said that it was in line with the dictates of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act.

“His Excellency, the President, Cde Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has, in terms of Section 16 (1) (a) read together with Section 16 (1) (d) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, suspended the Executive chairman of ZESA Holdings, Dr Sydney Gata and the entire ZESA Board Members with immediate effect.”

This comes in the wake of corruption and abuse of office allegations levelled against the Board Chair by Minister of Energy and Power Development, Advocate Fortune Chasi.

The President further directed a thorough investigation on the parastatal’s activities and the electricity sector in its totality, through the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Chairperson, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo.

Dr Sibanda highlighted the need for efficiency as the matter is expected to have been investigated and tabled back within four weeks.

The President is on record bemoaning corruption having become a cancerous menace threatening development in the country, hence his sustained efforts to weed out and convict anyone found guilty.

Complementing this call, Government through ZACC also vowed to deliver on the promise to purge the nation of corruption, in line with its motto to ‘refuse, resist, report.’