The Sunday News
THE two Mpilo Central Hospital executives who were fired early this month after being found guilty of abuse of office will pay close to $40 000 in addition to losing their jobs, it has been learnt.
Former operations director Mrs Duduza Regina Moyo was ordered to restitute $35 000 to Mpilo Central Hospital, while former finance director Mr Charles Govo’s dismissal came with a surcharge of $4 494.
The two, who were fired following hearing procedures, will thus pay their former employer a total of $39 494.
They had been serving suspension for almost nine months and were fired without pay and benefits for the period.
Health Services Board public relations executive Mr Nyasha Maravanyika confirmed this to Sunday News last week.
He could, however, not say how much time the two had to pay and what action the board would take should they fail to comply.
“The two were discharged from the health service and they are no longer our employees. Moyo will restitute $35 000 to the hospital which she prejudiced the institution through her actions. Govo will also pay $4 494. Unfortunately there is no time frame in which they should pay the money.
“Should they feel like appealing against their dismissal, they are free to exhaust all the available channels,” he said.
Mrs Moyo and Mr Govo were suspended in April last year together with the hospital’s chief executive officer Dr Lawrence Mantiziba.
Dr Mantiziba who was facing charges of failing to supervise his subordinates escaped a disciplinary hearing on a technicality after his contract with the Health Services Board expired on 2 September.
He joined the hospital on 2 September 2013.
Mr Maravanyika confirmed that Dr Mantiziba was off the hook, but said should he choose to rejoin the public health sector in future he would have to answer to the charges first.
“We could not bring him for a hearing because he was not our employee anymore. His contract had expired. He is not necessarily off the hook because if he decides to come back or join any other Government department, his file will be revisited and he would have to answer to the charges laid against him first,” said Mr Maravanyika.
Charges against the three executives arose after our sister paper The Chronicle broke the story on the alleged corruption last year when a $3 million tender, which had been awarded to Bulawayo businessman Ashton Mpofu’s New Planet Company, was cancelled after he allegedly refused to bribe Dr Mantiziba and Mrs Moyo.
Dr Mantiziba and Mrs Moyo have vehemently denied the bribe charges.
An audit of the hospital’s operations was instituted which showed the institution had been prejudiced of millions of dollars, resulting in the three being suspended.
During the trio’s era at Mpilo, the institution was also reported to have made serious losses of more than $50 000 through the fundraising activities which included the much publicised Donors’ Conference that was held at the hospital last year.
