The Sunday News
THE Lutheran Church, the custodian of Mnene Mission Hospital in Mberengwa, has flexed its muscles demanding the re-assignment of officials at the institution who were implicated in the targeted approach money scandal which saw hospital administrator Mr Ziboniso Noel Moyo being dragged to court.
It is believed that the church has pledged to fund the hospital’s water and sewer reticulation after the institution was hit by serious water challenges that once left health workers, patients and their attendants stranded without any source of clean water, a situation which has forced some of the patients to be referred back to rural clinics.
Impeccable sources have revealed to Sunday News that the institution had demanded that some of the implicated officials be transferred to other health institutions.
The other implicated members are hospital matron Sister Danai Chauke, finance director Mr Comfort Shumba and Ms Yvonne Manyawo.
“The hospital is at loggerheads with the institution’s administration demanding that the implicated employees should be transferred to other hospitals,” said a source at the institution.
The new pastor-in-charge, who was engaged soon after the rot was unearthed by Mberengwa North Member of Parliament Cde Tafanana Zhou, Reverend Shepherd Mafuka, could neither deny nor confirm the church’s position.
“There are issues that the church needs us to address before they can assist us to revive our water works.
“There is a water crisis at the institution but we are addressing it,” he said.
Mr Moyo was recently acquitted when the case, in which he was being jointly charged of criminal abuse of office as a public officer with Ministry of Health and Child Care’s national procurement officer Mr Wilbert Madenga, national projects and planning officer Mr Richard Dharara, collapsed.
The State failed to prove that Mr Moyo was a public officer since he was working at a church-run institution albeit being paid by Government. His lawyers successfully applied for discharge due to lack of evidence.
Allegations against Mr Moyo were that he connived with the two senior Government officials from the Ministry of Health and Child Care to forge the permanent secretary’s date stamp to approve tenders resulting in the Lutheran Church-run institution being prejudiced of about $400 000.
Mnene, which is Mberengwa’s biggest referral hospital servicing 35 clinics and four rural hospitals, was given a $700 000 grant by Government under the targeted approach programme in 2011 meant to improve health service delivery.
The three allegedly connived to award a tender without the authority of the State Procurement Board which is mandated by the Procurement Act to preside over all tendering procedures and procurement of goods, services, equipment worth over $50 000.
