ZINARA will soon be launching a platform on its website that will give out on-the-dot updates for every disbursement of road rehabilitation funds they make to councils.
The move, according to the road authority’s Board Chairperson George Manyaya, is meant to facilitate transparency within the once-tainted organisation.
It will also deal with never-ending blame games between councils and ZINARA over amounts disbursed or received for the rehabilitation of roads in various parts of the country.
Before this development, ZINARA had been giving quarterly disbursement updates which had in the past been contested, especially by Harare City Council.
“The quarterly publication of the disbursement schedule has courted healthy interest among the motoring public and has subsequently triggered varied and valuable comments and queries,” said Manyaya.
“We are going a step further creating a section on our website where we will be regularly updating disbursements as they occur.
“This is in line with our commitment to full transparency and shared accountability. We look forward to the subsequent constructive and collaborative engagements thereafter.”
The new ZINARA board has managed to rid itself of a bad-boy tag which had stuck as a result of its predecessor’s highly publicised cases of grand corruption.
Members of the previous board had lavishly rewarded themselves with holidays, gyms and various other allowances that milked the organisation while doing little to service Zimbabwe’s dilapidated road network.
ZINARA CEO Nkosinathi Ncube told reporters this week that they had collected ZW$868 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023, and managed to disburse over ZW$500 billion which amounts to 88% of the revenue.
The remainder was retained for administrative purposes.
“ZINARA committed 88% of collected revenue to road-related disbursements and direct costs of collection,” said Ncube.
“This reserved 12% for the administration. This split has been possible through financial discipline and prudence in the management of costs across the board.” — NewZimbabwe
