Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. GOVERNMENT risks losing millions amid revelations that ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are yet to receive vehicles and other assets paid for in 2021, the latest Auditor-General’s report has revealed.
The vehicles and other assets are worth US$9 259 711, ZWG24 538 578 and ZWL$375 512 256.
In the report tabled in Parliament last week, acting Auditor-General Rheah Kujinga said contract monitoring was not effectively done as provisions of the contract on non-performance by the supplier were not invoked.
She said non-delivery of procured goods was still a cause for concern in government.
“Some MDAs had undelivered goods dating back to 2021. I noted that contract `monitoring was not effectively done, as provisions of the contract on non-performance by the supplier were not invoked.
“A total of forty (40) vehicles, seventeen (17) fire trucks, eighty-three (83) desktops, seventy-five (75) laptops and various office furniture (items) paid for between 2021 and 2024 had not been delivered as at May 30, 2025.
“There is a risk of excessive contract price variations if payments and deliveries are not made within the agreed contract period.”
Kujinga also said service delivery was compromised as the assets were tools of trade required for the well-functioning of MDAs.
According to the report, the ministries with undelivered assets include Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Local Government and Public Works and Skills Audit and Development.
The report said the Local Government and Public Works ministry ordered 17 fire trucks worth US$8 383 080 and other vehicles worth ZWL203 285 545, which were not delivered.
The Lands and Agriculture ministry also ordered various assets yet to be delivered, including a Toyota Hilux GD6 double cab, tablets, desks, chairs, iPhone accessories, and a tent, among others.
The ministry also contracted the construction of 56 000 tonnes grain silos worth US$355 684 000, which have not been delivered since 2024.
The Finance ministry reportedly ordered Toyota Hilux GD6 double cab motor vehicles worth US$243 352, but they were not delivered, while the Skills Audit and Development ministry ordered furniture worth US$178 680, which has not been delivered.
The Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture ministry bought six Nissan Navara vehicles worth ZWG138 766 490 and 20 straw hats worth US$400 which were not delivered.
In 2022, the Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage ministry ordered two vehicles worth US$104 474 but were yet to be delivered, while the Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development ministry ordered food and toilet paper valued at US$22 045 and was not delivered.
Meanwhile, Kujinga noted the conversion of financial transactions from ZWL to ZWG, saying MDAs were supposed to produce financial statements for the whole financial year in one currency (ZWG).
“This meant translating the ZWL transactions to ZWG. To achieve this, Treasury provided guidance to MDAs on how the ZWL financial transactions were to be translated.
“However, the circular was not uniformly applied by MDAs. Nearly all MDAs withdrew and resubmitted financial statements during the audit; some withdrew and resubmitted more than four times,” she said.
The acting AG said there was a downtime of the Public Financial Management Systems (PFMS) during the country’s changeover of currency from ZWL$ to Zimbabwe Gold (ZWG) for almost five months (April to August 2024).
“During that time, most MDAs operated outside the PFMS. The financial information that would have been processed outside the system was not uploaded onto the system in some cases. Such information would misstate expenditure figures,” she said.
Zimbabwe changed currency from ZWL to ZWG effective April 5 last year.
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