HARARE – Magistrate Lazini Ncube will conduct an inspection in loco at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation on September 18 to verify if Fruitful Communications Pvt Ltd ever aired any television programmes for the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC).
This comes after the company owners, a former ZBC employee, Oscar Pambuka, and former Zanu PF legislator Psychology Maziwisa, accused of unlawfully billing $12,000 to ZPC for no actual work performed, argued that they indeed carried out projects for ZPC.
The state alleges that they misrepresented that President Emmerson Mnangagwa authorised them to do public relations work for ZPC and went on to claim payments.
Pambuka and Maziwisa successfully applied for an inspection to be conducted at ZBC, through their lawyer Jonathan Samkange, arguing that ZPC did not dispute that they indeed carried out work.
But ZBC bulletins manager, Moses Charedzera, said the two never broadcasted any radio or television project for ZPC.
According to Charedzera, their records indicate that other projects which had nothing to do with ZPC, energy or ZIMASSET, were aired on the days in question.
Prosecutor Michael Reza claims the two would request for money each time ZPC’s name was mentioned on radio or television saying they influenced the mentions.
Maziwisa and Pambuka insist they did carry out PR work for ZPC.
Former Energy Minister Samuel Undenge who advised ZPC to engage them has since been convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment over for criminal abuse of office. He is out on bail after he appealed his conviction.
During his trial, ZPC employees exonerated the Minister confirming that Fruitful Communications Pvt Ltd indeed did work for their company.
It is their defence that they were paid for work they carried out and did not defraud anyone.
