Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Zvamaida Murwira
10 July 2009
Harare — Finance Minister Tendai Biti appears to have lost his battle to get Members of Parliament to take delivery of official vehicles supplied by Willowvale Mazda Motor Industry as the lawmakers have crafted a procurement facility independently with various car dealers.
According to information obtained on Tuesday, the scheme negotiated by the legislators costs the same as the WMMI deal, but is structured in such a way that it puts less pressure on the fiscus.
The MP-brokered deal, if approved, will cost the Treasury US$500 000 per month over a period of 12 months, translating to US$6 million. Minister Biti's WMMI proposal would also cost US$6 million but Treasury would have to pump out US$1 million every month for six months.
The legislators have in the past three weeks been getting quotations from various car dealers in the city. At least three quotations are already with Parliament's management and are awaiting Treasury to release the money if approved. Zanu-PF Chief Whip Cde Joram Gumbo, on Tuesday confirmed they were finalising the structure of the procurement facility with various car dealers.
"We have been holding meetings with car dealers and we are also holding meetings with Treasury to arrange payment plans," he said. Cde Gumbo defended the decision to reject WMMI vehicles a position the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and others have castigated as a clear sign that legislators were not willing to support local industries.
"The money being used to buy the vehicles is not a donation, but a loan that we will pay back. "We have the right to select where we want to buy the vehicles because the cars will be ours and we will be using them to perform our duties," said Cde Gumbo, who is Mberengwa West Member of the House of Assembly.
"The argument by ZCTU or any other person that we should get vehicles from WMMI is misplaced because these are not donations, but in essence we are buying them so we are entitled to make a choice." Chairperson of the MPs Welfare Committee Cde Makhosini Hlongwane confirmed on Tuesday that the deal was almost sealed.
"Their terms were quite right and we are still finalising discussions with them," said Cde Hlongwane (Mberengwa East House of Assembly Member, Zanu-PF). Several meetings have been held over the past weeks between the Parliamentary Welfare Committee and party Chief Whips on one hand and car dealers on the other to concretise the deal.
The Herald understands that under the scheme being negotiated by the MPs, legislators who would have settled for vehicles priced beyond the set limit per individual would be asked to pay the difference from their pockets. The MPs said the vehicles Minister Biti wanted to acquire for them were expensive to maintain and unsuitable for the rough terrain of rural constituencies.
Another bone of contention has been the US$30 000 ceiling value in the WMMI scheme. MPs have said the money was too little to buy a good all-terrain vehicle.
They said the range of cars they felt were appropriate, such as the Toyota Vigo and Navara, cost around US$34 000.
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