Mliswa drops bomb on Police Commissioner Matanga

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20 October 2020

Commissioner,
Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo,

Chairperson,Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC),

872 Betterment Close,

Mount Pleasant Office Park,

Mount Pleasant,

Harare

Dear Justice Matanda-Moyo,

RE: LETTER OF REQUEST FOR THE INSTITUTION OF A GRAND SCALE INVESTIGATION ON THE ZIMBABWE REPUBLIC POLICE (ZRP) COMMISSIONER-GENERAL GODWIN T. MATANGA

The above refers.In my capacity as Member of Parliament, and indeed as a citizen of Zimbabwe, and in my mandated role of legislation, representation and oversight, I hereby officially request your good office to conduct a grand scale investigation into certain allegations of corruption and abuse of office as raised against the ZRP Commissioner-General G. T. Matanga.

I further submit this request for investigation in accordance with Section 255(1)(d) of the Zimbabwe Constitution which provides that the ZACC is mandated “to receive and consider complaints from the public and to take such action in regard to the complaints as it considers appropriate”, read in conjunction with Chapter 13, Part 1, Section 254 (2), of the same Constitution which further provides that “members of your good office are appointed for their integrity and their knowledge of and experience in administration or the prosecution or investigation of crime or for their general suitability for appointment,” I therefore hold great confidence that intervention from your good office will exhaustively and irrevocably determine the evidence as submitted.

***Police Commissioner Matanga & Norton MP Temba Mliswa***

The allegations are as follows:

 Sometime in December 2019, CG Matanga, in the company of his Chief Staff Officer, Transport and Logistics, Commissioner Hlabiso, is alleged to have paid a visit to Croco Motors with the intent to purchase eighty (80) operations vehicles without following due tender process and procedure. In his personal capacity, CG Matanga is then alleged to have instructed Croco Motors to clear the eighty (80)vehicles on Customs Clearance Certificates (CCC) under the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Matanga is further alleged to have instructed Croco Motors to brand the aforementioned vehicles in the ZRP colours ready for collection. However, during routine inspections of Croco Motors, ZIMRA officials discovered various anomalies in the procurement process of the aforementioned vehicles. As an alarm was raised, CG Matanga is alleged to have panicked and subsequently could not make collection of the vehicles as initially agreed.

Matanga is then alleged to have hastily made an attempt to institute regulated tender procedures in retrospect, but in vain.

Matanga then proceeded to have payment made for fifteen (15) of the eighty (80) ZRP branded vehicles which are currently parked at the ZRP warehouse, Transport Section whilst the remaining sixty-five (65) ZRP branded vehicles remained at the Croco Motors bonded warehouse in Harare. Frantic efforts by Matanga to engage the Croco Motors owner, Mr. Chiwenga are alleged to have proved fruitless leaving Matanga exposed and in a quandary as to how to proceed.

Matanga is subsequently alleged to have initiated negotiations for condonation papers for the ZRP branded vehicles at the Croco Motors bonded warehouse as a way of concealing his corrupt administrative practices.

 What is further extremely disconcerting to note is that the price paid for these vehicles by the ZRP was approximately double the actual value of the vehicle from other players who were denied the opportunity to tender as the procurement process was flouted and fraught with irregularities whilst prejudicing the ZRP of a huge sum of money in the process.

 In another incident, Matanga is alleged to have approached Scanlinik with the intention of purchasing Command vehicles for Chief Superintendents and Assistant Commissioners at a cost of approximately USD43,000.00 (forty-three thousand United States dollars) each for Chief Superintendents and USD66,000.00 (sixty-six thousand United States dollars each for Assistant Commissioners. The total number of vehicles is yet to be verified. Once again acting in connivance with Commissioner Hlabiso and this time with Scanlink representatives, the values of the aforementioned vehicles were inflated two-fold at the behest of Matanga.

This price anomaly however came to light, and in an attempt to conceal the corruption, the police tried to engage Scanlink to reimburse the value of the inflated amount.

 The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) was duly constituted by an act of Parliament, Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act Chapter 22:23, to supervise public procurement proceedings and to ensure transparency, fairness, honesty, cost effectiveness and competition as provided for by Section 315 of the Zimbabwe Constitution. In full knowledge as the Head of Police, Matanga subsequently ignored and/or neglected to observe procurement procedures in blatant abuse of office.

 Such an allegation against CG Matanga would appear not to be new, as during his tenure as the Deputy Commissioner-General, Administration during the CG Chihuri era, Matanga is alleged to have sourced goods and services from personally known friends and acquaintances for self-aggrandisement. These dealings are said to be fraught with irregularities and attempts are alleged to have been made by Matanga to have these dealings swept under the carpet whilst yet other dealings conducted by former CG Chihuri and himself are alleged to have been torn to shreds to conceal the evidence.

 I further have it on good authority that Matanga is the recipient of five (5) residential stands at the Sandton development near Westgate in Harare, obtained through allegedly corrupt means through a one, Felix Munyaradzi. Furthermore, it is also believed that Matanga is the beneficiary of further stands through the then Mayor of Harare, Herbert Gomba. AS a result an investigation into these allegations is necessary. Even more unsettling is an alleged alliance between Matanga and one Delish Nguwaya for the purposes of bribery which would appear to have sucked in the Director of the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the President’s Office, Thabani Mpofu as well as members of the Magistrates Court.

This alleged cartel is said to be causing fear and despondency to its victims who are allegedly arrested either by the ZRP or SACU and whilst placed on remand through the contacts at the Courts, bribes are demanded from them to secure their release. These alleged syndicates are belived to target those loyal to His Excellency, President E. D. Mnangagwa, senior ZRP officers as well as other individuals. It is an unsavoury and criminal alliance that requires urgent investigation.

The allegations as stated above are of a criminal nature and therefore should be treated with the seriousness and urgency they deserve.

Matanga’s position as Commissioner�General ZRP surely does not absolve him from investigation and indeed on the contrary, for one placed with so much responsibility, an exemplary conduct is not only expected, but demanded. In light of the gravity of the accusations, it is therefore humbly recommended that a forensic audit by an independent body such as the Auditor-General’s Office be instituted at the ZRP. It is further recommended that an investigation into the existence of an alleged syndicate amongst senior police officers be conducted.

This alleged syndicate is purported to be at the forefront of purging senior officers involved in opening dockets and gathering evidence against perpetrators of corruption within the ranks. This cartel is further believed to be working against the gains of the Second Republic in direct contravention of the efforts at stability and unity as proclaimed by His Excellency, President E. D. Mnangagwa and as a result pose an imminent security threat that must be nipped in the bud.I therefore trust that you will accept my official request for investigation on Commissioner�General G. T. Matanga with the seriousness and urgency it requires and subsequently look forward to your valued response.

Yours sincerely,Hon. Temba P. Mliswa

(MP) Norton Constituency

 President E. D. Mnangagwa – President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Vice President C. G. D. Chiwenga – Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe

 Vice President K. D. C. Mohadi – Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe

 Hon. Minister R. K. Kazembe – Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage

 Hon. Minister Z. Ziyambi – Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs

 Mr. K. Hodzi – Prosecutor General, Zimbabwe

 Judicial Services Commission Mrs. M. Chiri – Auditor General, Zimbabwe

 National Joint Operations Command (JOC)