More woes for suspended Cottco boss

Local News
Manamike was suspended and arrested in July for corruption alongside the company’s head of marketing and business development, Maxmore Njanji.

BY TAURAI MANGUDHLA THE Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) board of directors has repossessed a top of the range Toyota Land Cruiser VXR vehicle which had been issued to suspended managing director Pious Manamike.

Manamike was suspended and arrested in July for corruption alongside the company’s head of marketing and business development, Maxmore Njanji.

“I don’t know why they only took Manamike’s vehicle and not Njani’s, but it could be that Njani’s vehicle is much older and possibly he had already paid for it under the company’s vehicle scheme,” a source said.

Cottco board chairperson Sifelani Jabangwe confirmed that the company had repossessed Manamike’s vehicle.

“His suspension from Cottco is without benefits. The car is part of benefits withdrawn,” Jabangwe said, adding that the duo was also not being paid their monthly salaries.

Meanwhile, investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission into reports of corruption are being cast wider to include the procurement team and other senior officials at Cottco.

On Tuesday, Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Wadyadyena (Zanu PF) was arrested alongside Manamike, Njanji and Cottco procurement official Fortunate Molai on charges of misappropriating US$5,8 million.

They were granted $200 000 bail each on Thursday when they appeared before Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje facing fraud and money laundering charges.

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