Minister orders ZESA to employ Zanu PF MP

Energy minister Samuel Undenge

According to the Herald newspaper, the beneficiary of the bizarre arrangement is a firm called Fruitful Communications which is owned by Zanu PF legislator Psychology Maziwisa and a ZBC news presenter.

Minister Undenge ordered ZESA to engage the company in January this year, according to a letter seen by the Herald.

The minister reportedly wrote: “They (Fruitful Communications) have done publicity work for the Ministry of Energy and Power Development by putting me, as the principal voice at the forefront of explaining our vision as well as the different interventions that are currently being undertaken by the ministry.

“I have found them to be incredibly useful in this regard and hereby direct that you work as closely as possible with them at intervals of six months per engagement until 2018.”

Maziwisa confirmed the arrangement.

“We are doing consultancy for them,” he said.

Minister Undenge claimed that the company was doing the PR work for free, before backtracking.

“They are people in public relations and there is no formal contract with anyone and if anyone wants to help for free, we allow them to do that,” he said.

“They felt they wanted to explain something to the public. It’s just like you, you write a lot of things but we do not pay you.”

However, told by the Herald that Maziwisa’s company was paid for the job, Undenge recanted.

“Well, pamwe vanenge vafunga panoda kuti paitwe something I don’t have that detail.

“Maybe they think that if they utilise them then things will move accordingly. It will now be a prerogative of the organisation nothing to do with the Minister.”