Health Ministry Official Hired 28 Relatives To Work As Community Health Workers

By Court Reporter
Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in the Health Ministry Dr Portia Manangazira, allegedly criminally abused aid funds by hiring 28 relatives as community health workers, paying facilitation fees to undeserving ministry staff, and flouting tender rules when she bought US$280 529 of goods and services.

She also allegedly illegally diverted diesel coupons for 3 290 litres to private vehicles.
She is accused of buying US$295 529 of goods and services between July 16 last year and January 21 this year without following tender procedures.
She allegedly recommended payment between July 23 and November 1 last year of facilitation fees amounting to US$8 835 to undeserving employees in the Health Ministry.
Between July last year and last month she allegedly identified about 1 000 health community workers, including 28 of her own relatives, who were all paid US$600 each over three months, without engaging either district or provincial medical officers.
The workers were supposed to be drawn from across key religious, traditional, cultural and geographical groups in Covid-19 hotspots.
Manangazira, through her lawyer Mr Harrison Nkomo, told the court that she was a proper candidate for bail whose application was supposed to be weighed against her own conduct.