RUSTENBURG - Disgraced Zimbabwe Health Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo has been fired for inappropriate conduct linked to the illegal awarding of multi-million-dollar contract for Covid-19 medical supplies to a company that sold the government face masks and other materials at inflated prices.
Chief secretary to the president and cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda said President Emmerson Mnangagwa dismissed Moyo with immediate effect for conduct inappropriate for a government minister, state-run daily newspaper The Herald reported.
Moyo is facing charges of corruption and criminal abuse office over his alleged role in the US$60 million deal with medical supplier Drax International. The contract has since been cancelled.
Namibia media reported that Moyo had also been implicated in alleged corruption in the purchase of Covid-19 tests involving a company registered in that country.
The Zimbabwe minister reportedly handpicked Namibian-registered Jaji Investments, owned by medical doctor Prince Mushininga to supply rapid Covid-19 test kits despite the country not manufacturing them, The Namibian daily paper reported.
According to the daily, the Namibian government was forced to distance itself from the deal after Zimbabwe’s information and broadcasting services minister Monica Mutsvangwa claimed the test kits had been a donation from Namibia.
Mutsvangwa told reporters during a post-cabinet media briefing in April that Namibia had donated 4,449 test kits to Zimbabwe that would be used to accelerate Covid-19 testing.
She said Moyo had briefed Cabinet on the said donation and vice-president Kembo Mohadi also confirmed the receipt of the test kits.
Namibia's Health Minster Kalumbi Shangula told the Namibian Sun at the time that the country did not have such test kits to donate.