More executives fingered in PSMI rot as employees continue to wallow in poverty
By Harry Taruva and Delicious Mathuthu
More executives have been fingered in the rot at the Premier Service Medical Investments (PSMI) with allegations of massive corruption, looting, fraud and abuse of company resources revealed while employees have gone for months without salaries and allowances.
In the recent past, the media has been awash with several reports of arrests of some senior PSMI executives, but a document compiled by workers reveals that more senior staffers at the institution have been involved in corruption and looting. Kwedu News is in possession of the damning document
which accuses nine senior PSMI officials, former executives and board members of plundering company resources which has allegedly contributed to its collapse.
The accused include Human Resources (HR) Director Marshall Dube who has been under investigation for corruption, Board Member Cecelia Alexander, former PSMI Board Chair Jeremiah Bvirindi, Board Member Colonel Wellington Tutisa, former Group Chief Executive Officer Farai Frederick Muchena, one Sibusisiwe Nkomo, Properties Manager Walter Gambura, Loss Control Manager Ostein Bonasi and one Ranganayi Mubvumbi.
PSMI National Workers Committee Chairman, Munyaradzi Nharaunda, said the rot has destroyed the company which has seen a blotted workforce through employment of relatives and friends, looting of company property and resources, as well as multiple company accounts that have been overdrawn.
“There was looting and those who stole are our bosses.”
“When they were investigated you heard the arrest of some but more have not been arrested to date.We also heard that the board was being given monies that they were not supposed to get.
So we are saying the board and the directorate were giving each other monies which was not supposed to happen.”
“Secondly, they also made an overdraft of workers, employing more people than what they were supposed to employ.
“They are dubiously giving people no longer working at PSMI salaries.”
“Right now we have what we call shared services with operations, and everything is breaking even, 50-50 in terms of people, where we are saying we have more managers than the people that they are managing, what does that mean?”
“This is done by people who claim to be educated and know what they are doing.
Now the company is crumbling and they are saying lets retrench starting with services; Why are we doing this?”
“Those who failed to do their job should go home and those supposed to be arrested be arrested and that’s the only way to resuscitate this thing,” Nharaunda said.
He said workers have since realised that they are being used as they are getting nothing and threatened a full blown strike.
As a solution, he said those responsible for the crisis should be fired.
“Whoever wants the company to be revived should first find the root cause, what caused the crisis, because what caused it is still around and we still have it.
“We had some places which we said were open for prestigious reasons but those people have not been paid anything since.”
“What kind of evil is that? People are not being paid but the Directors are giving each other fuel and upkeep monies.
“Some people who were fired are still getting their salaries and we have more than 30 accounts being run by the company all with overdrafts,” Nharaunda said.
A disgruntled worker who spoke to Kwedu News on condition of anonymity, fearing victimisation, said senior executives were using PSMI funds to pay their small houses and domestic workers.
“Senior bosses are paying salaries to their small houses, farm employees, maids and personal drivers.
“I am actually getting a salary less than someone who is seated home doing nothing, what did you think would happen?” She said.
BELOW IS A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE LOOTING BY PSMI EXECUTIVES
PSMI HR Director Marshall Dube, who was last year investigated and arrested on corruption charges by the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission, is accused of failing to keep fuel allocation records and fraudulently paying his sister and other employees no longer working at PSMI monthly salaries.
“His sister Nothando Dube last reported for duty long back but is still on the pay roll,” reads part of the document.
Two other non-working employees Mary Madya and former Properties Manager Engineer Sibanda’s cousin were not working but still on the pay roll, one of them for the past three years and their vehicle being serviced and maintained by the company, all under Dube’s watch, the document states.
He is also accused of failing to update the Medical Aid Records as well as Registration, failed updating National Social Security documents and did not pay the Social Security Authority dues which has seen injuries for employees on duty not being compensated.
Dube also stands accused of allowing two former employees, one Jefferson Mugwagwa who is a brother to a senior manager at HoldCo and a former employee who is Dube’s cousin, one Dr Shadreck Dombe who was dismissed for theft, to keep PSMI vehicles a Nissan NP200 and a Nissan X-trail respectively.
Dube is also accused of allegedly failing to advise PSMI on how the Motor Vehicle Policy should be instituted resulting in pool vehicles being personalised and abused, some extended unprofessionally to PSMI board members.
Another senior official, PSMI Board member, Cecelia Alexander, is accused of allegedly taking a PSMI registered Mercedes Benz E300 on the 9th of August 2017.
She is also accused of allegedly withdrawing holiday funds worth about $22 000 through a Pearlsad Account meant for employees and has a tendency of threatening employees into silence over corruption complaints at the company.
The document also accuses former PSMAS Board Chair, Jeremiah Bvirindi of allegedly taking with him a brand new PSMI registered NP300 Hardbody double cab pool vehicle on the 21st of December 2017.
Another PSMI Board member, Colonel Wellington Tutisa also stands accused of allegedly stealing a PSMI registered Toyota Fortuner, AEN0956 pool vehicle and giving it to one Stanford Dehwe with no handover records.
Colonel Tutisa’s security company, Milona, is alleged to be manning PSMI premises and his other construction company contracted to do renovations at PSMI premises located at 52 G. Silundika Avenue in Harare.
Former Group Chief Executive Officer, Farai Muchena is accused of allegedly taking a PSMAS registered Mercedes Benz GL350CDI pool vehicle on the 9th of August in 2017.
Muchena is also accused of purchasing Walter Gambura a house in Borrowdale using PSMI funds, as well as extending services to his Beatrice Farm using PSMI resources.
Another top PSMI official, Dr. Sibusisiwe Nkomo is accused of authorising the purchase of Providone Iodine, an antiseptic used for skin disinfection before and after surgery, worth millions of dollars without following due procedure and trying to cover up the purchase by forging documents in retrospect and threatening the Warehouse Manager and Quality and Regulation Officer by dragging them to hearings after raising alarm in the process.
She is also accused of purchasing Unicell Antigen Kits worth millions which failed sensitivity tests from a company called Medirite which were not used till they expired.
Two other Senior PSMI Managers, Properties Manager Walter Gambura and Loss Control Manager, Ostein Bonasi, are accused of allegedly failing to account for 40 expensive Air-conditioners dismounted from Tendeseka Office Park and solar panels installed at Dorothy Duncan Centre PSMI premises.
The two never alerted the company or make any police report after the conditioners allegedly went missing.
Gambura is also accused of being allegedly in the lead in setting up of generators, plumbing and electricals at Muchena’s Beatrice farm using spares and equipment paid through PSMI accounts from PSMI registered suppliers.
Another official, Ranganai Mubvumbi is accused of having instructed the purchase of the faulty Unicell Antigen Kits which failed sensitivity tests as he allegedly has underhand dealings with the company, Medirite, which he forces PSMI to make direct purchases of all laboratory equipment and reagants, and allegedly gets kickbacks in return.
The company, Medirite, has allegedly failed to fully install a CT scan purchased in 2017 despite having been paid in advance.
Mubvumbi is also accused of hiding the real account of events leading to the death of an intern employee sometime back due to lack of adequate infrastructure.
“He concealed important details pertaining to the death of a student intern by the name Tsuro who died in an inferno at 132 Samora Machel Laboratory due to lack of proper infrastructure as required by regulatory requirements and the building has since been condemned by the Harare City Council Engineers,” reads the document.
Contacted for comment on the current situation at the company and the allegations on the document, PSMI Acting Managing Director, George Farai Kutoka said he could not respond to this publication since he has no proof of who the journalists said were.
Kutoka is also accussed of threatening employees to go to work without salaries and attempting to impose a “No work no pay” policy.
The workers instead have escalated their strike last week after failing to reach an agreement with their employers and managers.
Kwedu News
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