BUSINESS REPORTER
Power utility ZESA Holdings has rehired five former employees as consultants as it bolsters its capacity ahead of the rebundling exercise meant to create efficiency and improve service delivery.
The return of the quintet comes as the power utility is filling positions after a recent forensic audit led to the departure of key personnel.
Among those that have bounced back at ZESA are Itai Utah who will be a consultant for Innovation Technical Services and Cletus Nyachowe to become consultant on the international business front.
Tanda Chisi returns to ZESA from ZERA and will consult on power projects.
ZESA executive chairman Sydney Gata said Thursday the appointments were above board as the power utility obtained approval from the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ).
“…In terms of corporate governance we are well educated on this and post the forensic audit, we are now graduates of corporate governance and we followed all the PRAZ procedures. Each and every one of the appointees had attained the minimum qualifications of being a ZESA director and we will continue to engage only people who left ZESA without any issues or incidents,” he said.
Gata said he has an “unflinching determination to deploy Zimbabwean professionals to come back and develop their country as this is how many economies have developed”.
Critics say the rehiring of former employees gives an impression of creating “jobs for the boys”.
Gata hits back: “The irony is that there is no noise when expatriates are hired but some talk when we look at our very own nationals.”
He said plans are underway for the establishment of the projects, protection and the operations and maintenance of Hwange and other power stations departments.
“We are seeking for qualified ZESA people to come and take up these positions so as to enable universal access,” Gata said.
ZESA lost a number of key personnel over the years.
It is estimated that the power utility lost over 400 key staffers who are working in South Africa, Australia and the UK.
The power utility awaits implementation of the 2018 Cabinet directive rebundle ZESA and its units into a single entity. into one single entity.
The government appointed Ernest and Young to carry out this exercise and the report will be presented to government and posts will be advertised.
The proposed rebundling of ZESA is part of government measures to arrest the high cost of running the business.
Apart from several board members and chief executives, all of the companies under ZESA Holdings have separate departments such as marketing, human resources, accounts and public relations, meaning there has been duplication of roles.
The unbundling of the power utility has also been blamed for exerting more costs on the company and the tariff, as all executives get huge salaries and obnoxious perks such as top-of-the-range vehicles.
ZESA was unbundled in 1997 and later in 2006.
The unbundling created five companies—Powertel Communications, Zimbabwe Electricity and Transmission Distribution Company, the Zimbabwe Power Company, Zesa Enterprises and Zesa Holdings.
