By Correspondent
Former President Mnangagwa Advisor Paul Tungwarara has emerged as the benefactor of another Presidential scheme this time installing solar systems.
The Presidential Solar Scheme pilot project begun last week with 80 houses connected in Glen View.
It involves renting and installing solar panels on rooftops of houses for free.
According to officials the generated power will then be fed into the national grid.
Speaking to state media, Tungwarara, Prevail Group International Chairperson applauded the project as a future source of income for beneficiaries.
“The programme started about seven days ago and we have done 70 to 80 houses already.
“Now our teams are putting solar panels, once they finish installation, they go inside putting inverters and feeding into the national grid straight away.
“So far, we are targeting, as a pilot, about 400 houses.
“That should be completed very soon and the electricity will be fed into the national grid.
“Then His Excellency will come and officially open these 400 houses,” he said.
Tungwarara says the programme will be rolled out nationally.
Shadiness All Around
While the project is laudable it is the emergence of Tungwarara’s Prevail Group which has raised eyebrows.
Early this month, this publication ran a piece here, outlining a string of controversial projects which Tungwarara has been winning.
These have been both at national and council levels.
Tungwarara has already been a beneficiary of the Presidential Borehole Scheme in the run-up to the 2023 elections.
Prevail Group International (PGI) was contracted to drill approximately 10 000 boreholes.
He was contracted together with Scott Sakupwanya’s Better Brands.
They were to drill 35 000 solar powered boreholes and nutritional gardens in all the country’s villages.
He was also cited in another scandalous State House deal where a precast wall was allegedly charged for US$15 million.
The businessman is also involved in one of the country’s staple projects, the US$500 million Cyber City project funded by a Dubai businessman.
His previous deals with Harare Council have also been scandalous with accusations of criminality.
In 2019 the City of Harare produced an audit report that accused his company of fraud.
The audit report detailed how council had been fleeced of over $62 000 by Paulos Construction.
However, Paulos said it had been a mistake of double payment by Council.
In 2017 Paulos Construction was also part of anothet hazy deal for bitumen tar at Harare City Council.
It led to accusations of him being paid without delivering some of the tar.
The continued emergence of familiarly suspicious faces in national projects has led to repeated accusations of corruption in high offices.
However, the absence of any criminal indictments has been cited as a justification and defence for accused individuals.
