Rutendo Ngara
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
ZESA Holdings head of Group Performance and Audit, Obson Matunja, who was accused of illegally siphoning 9 000 litres of fuel from the firm, has been acquitted.
Matunja, represented by lawyer Admire Rubaya, was found not guilty of theft of trust property after successfully showing the court that the allegations resulted from his differences with Zesa executive chairman Sydney Gata.
He stated that in 2005, he uncovered a scheme in which Gata allegedly sought to prejudice Zesa. Matunja claimed the current allegations were a way to retaliate against him, 14 years later. He also told the court that witnesses against him were “dancing to the tune of Gata” to support the allegations.
As the head of the Zesa Holdings Group Performance and Audit division, Matunja said he had two department heads below him and was not involved in fuel operations. However, it was alleged that from January 2018 to December 2019, Matunja would request fuel coupons for six pool vehicles under his department and issue fuel to subordinates without authorisation.
In the period under review, Matunja was allocated 23 260 litres of fuel to re-allocate to his subordinates. The court heard that Matunja used a notebook to issue fuel, and recipients signed as confirmation of receipt. However, the State claimed Matunja’s subordinates did not receive fuel when they returned from business trips, and he converted the fuel for his own use.
Out of the 23 260 litres of fuel he received, Matunja allegedly allocated 14 080 litres to his subordinates and allegedly converted 9 180 litres worth US$10 465 to his own use. Regional magistrate Noel Mupeiwa stated that the State failed to prove a case against Matunja.