TIMB boss on the spotlight for alleged corruption charges

CALLS have been made for law enforcement agencies to investigate the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board operations director and acting chief executive Emanuel Matsvaire on corruption charges.

A dossier seen by this publication, chronicles his alleged fraudulent activities and corrupt actions.

He is alleged to have violated tender processes which a company he had interests in being awarded a tender to transport tobacco farming inputs and benefiting financially.

Matsvaire is also being accused of inflating mileage figures and also nepotism which saw him facilitating employment and promotion of his relatives.

It is said the input clerk at TIMB head office, “Ms Chide would sent numerous truck loads of inputs to four provinces Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Manicaland which would be received by the regional managers for distribution to growers.”

Matsvaire who was then a regional manager in Manicaland allegedly failed to account for 3 truckloads of inputs made up of 90 000 tonnes of fertilisers worth abput US$ 90 000 that were despatched to his area.

The inputs disappeared and the staff members who worked close to him said the inputs were sold and he pocketed the money, it is said.

According to the circulating dossier, Matsvaire also violated tender procedures and got a tender to transport tobacco inputs for the TIMB Tobacco Inputs Credit Scheme (TICS) contract programme using a company called Paramad Investments to transport the inputs to Manicaland where he was in charge.

He would manipulate the mileage figures and claimed higher than the actual payements for transportation services which prejudiced TIMB, it is alleged.

The Burma Valley trip was the most inflated mileage, it is said.

Matsvaire allegedly requested more truckloads of inputs which resulted in several undeserving payments to Paramad Investments prejudicing TIMB.

He is also alleged to have forced TIMB field officers to make inputs requests without corresponding contracted growers to receive these agricultural inputs to the prejudice of TIMB.

Claims are that the Paramad Investments payments for transportation were deposited into one Tinaye Mutanda’s ZB bank account and Mutanda would transfer the funds to Matsvaire using zipit platform.

The money would be deposited into ZB Bank Rusape branch account number 4530439502200.

Allegations are that the fraudulent scheme involved Matsvaire, Mutanda and one Modekayi making away with thousands of dollars through the mileage inflation strategy.

Matsvaire has also been accused of nepotism allegedly facilitating the employment of four undeserving colleagues.

Matsvaire allegedly teamed up with one Divine Bona the TIMB human capital partener and employed one Rogas Chikomo as a registration cleck at TIMB Mutare office in 2017 to June 2022.

Records show a continous unprocedural renewal of employment contract without conducting any interviews for the job offer and despite not having the requisite qualification, Chikomo was employed as a permanant TIMB employee.

Matsvaire and Bona are also alleged to have facilitated the employment of Aid Taruvinga from the post of field 9fficer to that of technical officer yet he had no basic agricultural qualification and proper requirements for the job.

The two also employed Award Lovemore who is a relative of Matsvaire as a cleck in 2017 to date. His birth certificate clearly states that his mother is a Matsvaire.

The two are also alleged to have recruited Elisher Mugombo who is also a close relative of Matsvaire to the position of field officer despite not having the required agricultural qualifications for the post.

The two allegedly justified this appointment but indicating that he is currently studying towards the qualification yet Mugombo only registered for a programme with a university so that he conforms to the recommendations made by the two and has since stopped undertaking the indicated studies.