Published: 3 hours ago

Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy and Power Development chairperson Charlton Hwende has criticised government ministries and local authorities for disregarding recommendations made by the Auditor-General, warning that such negligence undermines transparency and service delivery.

Hwende, who is also the Kuwadzana East legislator, revealed that only about 20% of the Auditor-General's recommendations are ever implemented, with the rest ignored by public institutions. He made the remarks during an interview with the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a grouping of more than 75 civic society organisations advocating for democratic reforms.

"The biggest problem we have every year is that the Auditor-General releases about 350 recommendations, but only 20% of those recommendations are fulfilled. Ministries simply ignore them," Hwende said.

He also raised concerns over the growing use of indirect payments by the government, which he said had become a major source of corruption and opacity in public finance management.

"The first problem is the issue of direct payments. According to the Public Finance Management Act, ministries themselves are supposed to initiate direct payments. However, if you go through the Auditor-General's report, you'll see that every year, US$400 million to US$500 million in indirect payments are being made," Hwende said.

He explained that the Ministry of Finance often initiates payments on behalf of other ministries without proper consultation, creating loopholes that encourage corruption.

"Sometimes suppliers are paid without the ministries knowing. There have even been claims from suppliers that some officials at the Ministry of Finance demand bribes to process payments," Hwende said.

Although the Ministry of Finance has denied such allegations, Hwende noted that the lack of a transparent payment process remains a serious issue. "The permanent secretary explained that government operates under one foreign currency account, and when payments are made, entities are not consulted. This lack of consultation creates accountability gaps," he added.

To improve oversight, Hwende said Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has resolved to summon all ministries, local authorities, and parastatals named in the Auditor-General's report to explain their actions.

"This year, we decided that everyone mentioned in the Auditor-General's report must account to Parliament. We wrote to all the entities cited in the 2023 report, asking them to provide updates on progress made in implementing recommendations," he said.

Hwende acknowledged, however, that following up with over 400 entities remains a logistical challenge. "It is impossible to call all ministries and local authorities at once, but Parliament has a monitoring mechanism to track compliance and ensure the Auditor-General's recommendations are implemented," he said.

He urged government departments and councils to take the Auditor-General's findings seriously, saying full implementation of the recommendations was essential to restoring public confidence, curbing corruption, and improving service delivery.
- NewsDay

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