The acquisition of ZUPCO buses, a Government subsidy for public transport, has been plunged into serious question amid opacity regarding the ownership and operations of the facility.
Review & Mail this week heard claims that a huge chunk of buses acquired from South Africa and China were owned by President Mnangagwa’s business and political allies Kuda Tagwirei and Tino Machakaire, rumors that have been circulating for some time now.
It further emerged that the running of the subsidy operation involving private operators is done through an opaque taskforce headed by members of the security forces, and comprising ministries of Transport and Local Government and Finance.
Traditionally, Local Government ministry controlled Zupco.
On Wednesday, there was a showdown between bus operators and Government over non-payment to the former – we can exclusively reveal – with signs the scheme could be rocked by trouble soon.
Government owed operators $165 million, and a source close to the development revealed late Friday that the impasse could be resolved after Government pledged to pay the money through Zupco.
Yet, it is the ownership of buses that has raised uncomfortable questions about what appears to be corruption in the scheme.
According to our sources, President Mnangagwa could be running bus companies through his proxies.
“Those buses belong to Tagwirei and Machakaire,” an impeccable industry source and bus owner claimed in an interview.
“Machakaire is the one playing the front in the sourcing of the buses. Zupco has less than 60 buses in the whole fleet,” said the sources. Machakaire, a Member of Parliament, Deputy Sports Minister and a known Mnangagwa protégé, is already an owner of a fleet of buses.
“Then there is a bus company called Stallion Cruise – those belong to the Big Man – but the company is fronted by a guy called Pote from Zvishavane who is a businenessman and hotelier in the town.
“There are some 65 buses that came under Stallion Cruise and did not pay duty. Do you know them? Check them out! They are nice luxury buses that are now taking over major routes in the country up to Victoria Falls. They are the Big Man’s…it’s now a mafia operation,” our source claimed.
However, Machakaire, also known as TinMac, refuted the allegations in a phone interview Friday morning.
“If Government has acquired buses it has acquired them for itself, where do I come in?” Machakaire shot back.
Pressed further, he said: “All those are lies. Tagwirei is not involved. I am not involved…I already am in the transport business but I cannot buy for Government and Kuda (Tagwirei) cannot buy buses for Government. It buys for itself! People are trying to make some connections but this is not related at all,” he insisted.
Efforts to get comments from Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana and Local Government Minister July Moyo were fruitless.
Mangwana said he needed to study the issue, while Moyo said he was in Gwanda.
