There is need to promulgate regulations aimed at managing procurement of goods and services and their distribution in times of emergencies to prevent possibilities of theft and other underhand dealings, the Public Accounts Committee has said.

The recommendations were presented during a workshop to come up with an action plan on the implementation of recommendations made by the Auditor General, Mrs Mildred Chiri, in her report tabled in Parliament on the use of Covid-19 funds.

In the report, Mrs Chiri noted a number of anomalies in the procurement and distribution of funds and other resources to vulnerable communities affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and measures to contain it.

"We should have provisions of the law that specifically outline how we conduct ourselves during times of emergencies. The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe should have laid down procedures so that when we do this we don't do it outside the law," PAC chairman Mr Brian Dube said.

He added that some of the anomalies noted in the audit report could have been due to the absence of laid down procedures of operations during emergencies like Covid-19.

Mr Dube however, said those accused of criminal abuse of office should be dealt with by the police or the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.

"Accounting officers should take disciplinary action and those who are supposed to go home, go home than to remain in Government when they can't deliver on their mandate," he added.

In his remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Social Welfare, Mr Simon Masanga acknowledged that some regulations could have been breached at the height of the pandemic but blamed staff shortages for some of the anomalies.

He said the ministry had a skeletal staff due to cuts on staffers on duty as part of measures to contain the virus.

He said at 100 ministry employees who were on duty at height of the pandemic were infected by the virus stretching their capacity.

Mr Masanga added that it was also difficult to follow procurement procedures especially on foodstuffs as there was a continuous stream of returnees that were arriving daily when the pandemic was at its peak.