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TRANSPORT and Infrastructural Development Minister Joram Gumbo says former National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) board chairman, Engineer Alvord Mabena, remains fired, clearing the air over alleged confusion surrounding the post.

There has been speculation over Mabena’s dismissal two weeks ago with the private media claiming Gumbo, who recently took over the ministry from Obert Mpofu, had disowned the dismissal while some insinuated the move was tribal or political.

NRZ board vice chairperson Brigadier David Chiweza has since been appointed acting chairperson with the rest of the board remaining unchanged.

Mabena’s dismissal letter, dated November 5, 2015 and signed by Gumbo, said the decision was part of a restructuring exercise aimed at positioning the ailing parastatal for growth.

Last week, the NewsDay newspaper wrote an article quoting Gumbo as distancing himself from the dismissal.

Another report by the Financial Gazette claimed Mabena’s ouster was linked to the $700 million DBSA loan that the NRZ was negotiating for recapitalisation.
Mabena’s term was due to expire in 2017.

The minister dismissed the reports insisting the ministry’s position has not changed and that the NRZ issue was not unique to other parastatals under his ministry.

“The official ministry position is still the same, that Mabena has been relieved of his duties. I’m also aware that a lot is being said on social media that I hate Ndebeles and I don’t know where it’s coming from?” said Gumbo.

“What I told the reporter (NewsDay) was that I would issue a statement as I couldn’t disclose boardroom issues in the media. But the reporter went on to write his own opinions.”

Gumbo scoffed at tribal accusations over the dismissal of Mabena saying people should not confuse politics and professional business administration.

“When I came into office, I had to first address issues of staffing. Most entities under my ministry such as NRZ, Zinara and CAAZ (Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe) had no managers and staff for other critical posts.

“For your own information, when I came, three people — one man and two women from Bulawayo, resigned from one of the boards. The board now had four out of seven people. Under such a situation a board can’t function and do I have an option but to dissolve it?” explained Gumbo.

“But how would I operate when you have entities with eight to nine critical but vacant positions? Thus I started with managers before looking at the boards. I didn’t fire anyone.”

Gumbo could not disclose the names of the board members who resigned.

NRZ has been operating without a general manager since 2013 when the post fell vacant following the death of Retired Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai in a car accident. Engineer Lewis Mukwada is the acting general manager.

There was confusion last month after Gumbo ordered that the NRZ board re-advertises the post of the general manager. Mabena’s board had already short-listed three candidates and was adamant the process had been completed while the ministry insisted it had to be redone.

Faced with many challenges that include obsolete equipment, lack of rail line maintenance and high staff overheads, the ailing parastatal owes its workers more than a year’s salaries.

Most of its equipment was purchased in the 1960s and the latest around 1989. The ageing infrastructure has outlived its planned lifespan of 25 years, resulting in low production.

At its peak, the NRZ was one of the biggest employers in the country with an 18,000 strong workforce.

Gumbo has said his ministry is looking at improving and rehabilitating the railway system, which is now in a deplorable state.