MDC-T Fails to Pay Election Agents as $23,000 Vanishes
The money for paying poll agents's allowances was allegedly misappropriated by some party officials at the labour-backed party’s provincial office in Marondera
HARARE — Scores of election agents of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Morgan Tsvangirai in the July 2013 polls in Mashonaland East province are yet to get paid after more than $23,000 earmaked for their allowances was misappropriated by some party officials at the labour-backed party’s provincial office in Marondera. Although the party’s national spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora, said the matter has not been brought to the party’s attention, provincial spokesperson, Graham Nyahada, confirmed they are looking for funds to pay election agents who worked for them in the poll. He said at least 70 agents were affected and investigations revealed that the party’s provincial administrator had mishandled the funds. Mwonzora said if it was true that the funds were indeed misappropriated, the party has mechanisms to deal with such matters. Studio 7 understands that the official who was being investigated by the party for fraud, Gyneth Ganya, has since resigned. She tendered her resignation to the party finance and administration director on October 31. Efforts to reach her for comment were fruitless. In other news from Harare, Youth, Indigenization and Empowerment Minister Francis Nhema on Monday said his ministry will revamp the country’s vocational training centres so they can teach business to thousands of youths who fail to secure formal employment every year. Officially launching the Global Entrepreneurship week in the capital, Mr. Nhema said the ministry’s target is to increase enrolment at the 42 vocational centres from the current 4,000 to 42,000 in the next five years. Nhema said youths need survival entrepreneurship skills which must be taught at early stages in their lives. Global Entrepreneurship week is an initiative that introduces entrepreneurship to young people in the whole world. Its objective is to expose them to the benefits of entrepreneurship through different activities and to motivate them to explore their own entrepreneurial ideas.