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Gershem Pasi

Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
The Bulawayo Fire Bridage has complied a report on a fire which gutted a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority warehouse in Beitbridge in November destroying goods worth millions of dollars.Zimra requested the Bulawayo City Council to second officials from its fire brigade to investigate the cause of the fire.

According to the latest council minutes, Zimra Commissioner General Geshom Pasi wrote to BCC last month requesting for assistance from the local authority’s Fire Brigade to probe the incident.

“The Beitbridge State Warehouse was totally gutted down by fire on 27 November 2014 and nothing was salvaged. Zimra is kindly requesting for help from your esteemed office for highly trained and skilled fire officers to assist in the investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire,” reads part of Pasi’s letter.

The cause of the fire which saw impounded goods worth millions of dollars go up in smoke is still unknown, but sources stationed at the border post suspect that some Zimra officials torched the warehouse to conceal evidence that they removed or stole millions of dollars’ worth of property that was supposed to be auctioned before the year ended.

Pasi indicated that his organisation was prepared to meet costs related to the investigation and would provide accommodation and transport for the fire officers.

“In the event that your organisation charges for such services, can you please kindly furnish us of any related charges pertaining to this service after investigations have been concluded,” he wrote.

Acting Town Clerk Sikhangele Zhou and Bulawayo mayor councillor Martin Moyo authorised the release of two senior fire brigade officers to carry out the investigations.

Bulawayo Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer Richard Peterson yesterday confirmed their engagement by Zimra.

“I can confirm that we attended to their request to investigate the cause of the fire. Our officers carried out the investigation and they spent about a week there. We have compiled the report and we will be handing it over to Zimra,” said Petersen.

He, however, would not reveal their findings saying the matter was confidential and Zimra was better placed to reveal it.

Pasi was not immediately available for comment.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) forensic experts were said to have carried out their own investigations but the results have not been made public.