By Correspondent
CCG Systems’ urgent Court application blocking Council’s re-engagement of Quill Associates has become another indication of a corrupt clique fighting to block progress as Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume warned before.
The application has produced a temporary stay on re-commissioning the new BIQ system until the High Court can hear arguments for and against the process.
The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe chief executive Clever Ruswa notified council of the interim court interdict.
In the interdict by CCG both Harare City Council and PRAZ are cited as respondents.
CCG argues that it has a valid and running contract to provide a BIQ system.
Thus, Harare cannot re-engage with South Africa’s Quill Associates.
While the argument may sound valid there are varied and concrete reasons why Council had chosen to go for Quill.
Poor Service
Mafume revealed last week that CCG has been failing to provide the needed services.
“This is a case of service to a provider who has shortchanged us.
“Just last week, we lost data using this CCG system despite having honoured our part in settling all the balances we had to them to the tune of over 3 000 transactions.
“Yet that very same person who is failing to deliver has got the nerve to take us to court barring us from redressing the problems they created.
“Our understanding was that we don’t have an exclusive contract with CCG Systems.
“We are just renewing the licensing,” he said.
Conspiracy
However, more ominous is the warning that Mafume raised in March 2024 about people fighting for a specific entity to win the contract.
Mafume told a Full Council how they could not understand what was happening.
It appeared that some officials were determined to thwart any efforts to procure an affordable billing system in favour of one costing US$52 million.
“At this point, that is why we called this extraordinary council meeting to say everything.
“Now we are running into debt, chemicals we now owe US$2,4million to Chemplex.
“We are struggling to pay the councillors and the workers.
“We are struggling to do anything even billing that an ordinary organisation is supposed to be doing.
“This is dramatic at all levels.
A Corrupt Clique
One of the bidders who had won scored 89 percent of the score and the minimum qualifying score was 75 percent.
However, when Council officials submitted to PRAZ it argued that there were other mandatory requirements that that bidder did not meet.
The winning bidder was allegedly required to include a statement stating that there would be a site visit to their premises by officials.
Ultimately the deal failed to go through.
Until the re-engagement of Quill Associates which has itself been blocked again.
PRAZ Accused Of Sabotage
During the last Full Council meeting Mafume was more explicit about the root cause.
He accused PRAZ of causing the problems.
“How does PRAZ merely write a letter to state that a matter is subjudice without any interdict?
“We went to PRAZ but they spent two weeks without responding but just after receiving court papers from CCG Systems they responded within seconds.
“These people are sabotaging the council.
“The residents are suffering.
“At the end of the day we want to put a system in place.
“Money is being stolen from the council, transactions are getting lost and the service provider appointed against my advice years back in 2019,” he said.
As Council waits for the High Court to rule on the matter the problems for residents continue.
More rates charges from estimates and more financial losses through leakages in the Council system.
