Another ‘cashgate’ at Information Ministry: Officer using Malawi govt equipment for personal gain

Millions of money that was supposedly to go into government coffers is going into the pocket of a senior official and his selected cohorts in a very systematic and coordinated manner in which the officer uses state Public Address System and personnel to milk the Ministry of Information of its much needed revenue, Nyasa Times has established.

Viola:, Director of Information : I am aware of the matter
Viola:, Director of Information : I am aware of the matter

Several sources within the Technical Section of the Information Ministry have revealed that the Acting Chief Audio Visual Officer Fletcher Ndawala has for several years been using government equipment mainly the PA system which he has been hiring out to private and government institutions.

The institutions hires the PA system when they have functions and instead of the revenue realised going to government Account Number One it goes into his personal pocket.

Investigations reveal that Ndawala has established a syndicate within the Technical Section which he uses for his ‘private business’. The sectioncomprise of government personnel and a Mr Kamudziaka who is a teacher at the reputed Bishop Mackenzie International School who acts as the owner of the equipment when in actual sense it belongs to government.

The Director of Information Gerald Viola admitted that he is aware of the issue because it was reported to his office by several staff members from the Regional Information Office (RIO) who felt shortchanged in the manner Ndawala was using government resources for his personal gain while ripping off the ministry which is grappling to run properly because of lack of enough funding from Treasury.

“I am aware of the issue that you are talking about because it was reported to me but I am yet to get to the bottom of it,” Viola told Nyasa Times in an interview.

“ Currently I am taking that issue very seriously but I haven’t yet contacted the officers involved to get their side of the story. At the moment I may say that I only got the information from our personnel who came to complain of the malpractice. I am told he hires out the equipment at exorbitant prices and remit very little to the ministry,” said Viola in an interview.

According to our source the Technical Section of the ministry is indexed as one of government departments which collects revenue for government whose proceeds is supposed to go to Account Number One, where all government revenue is kept which in turn is used for the services that government renders to its citizens.

“Over the years Technical Section has contributed considerable revenue to government amounting to millions which currently dwindled because of what this syndicate led by Ndawala is doing,” said the source.

Our source explained that the Technical Section has several kind of PA system which it hires out to the public namely Vehicle mounted equipment which is used for road shows, whistle stop tours, Indoor and Outdoor PA system which are used for indoor and outdoor functions.

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James Phiri
James Phiri
9 years ago

Looking at the story,Gerald Viola found Ndawala still doing his cashgate stuff even during the wisest Directors you would mention, Ndawala is 34 years old at Information in the section,actually if we have a good Director ever,Gerald is one of them. I was with him at Thekerani MCDE and he passed MSCE better than us who were physically fit coz Gerald wrote exams in clutches. He got offered tertiary education at Polytechnic to study Managerial Studies but changed and studied Journalism while he taught as Primary and later Secondary teacher after he graduated at Blantyre Teachers College. He holds diplomas… Read more »

Nasimbeni
Nasimbeni
9 years ago

Kodi what did you expect from a Director, whose MSCE was fail at THEKERANI M.C.D.E in the year 1994. After that was vending mu Ndirande’mu. All of a sudden nkudzakhala Director? I was surprised. Democracy has yielded Zero Percent to Malawians! Nayenso is busy filling up his pockets ndiye mukuganiza kuti angatani ndi mnzake? Lets Watch and See.

Hameed Chiwaya
Hameed Chiwaya
9 years ago

Nyasatimes mukatha mudzafufuzenso kuno ku Balaka za cashgate ma office aboma anthu akuwononga ndalama sizinawoneke

mabwitimanoni
9 years ago

At the ministry of trade HQ in Lilongwe a driver under OVOP who retired also took with him a Nissan 7 tonne truck to his village and is using it for personal gains. no one has ever made follow ups, koma as we speak its its with him. ask ma driver a ku trade akuwuzani a nyasa please go undercover

PM
PM
9 years ago

The multiparty politicians have DAMAGED civil service by appointing people anyhow. Unqualified, unsuitable people are appointed even without backgroun check on their character. someone are appointed to senior positions without working in the civil service more than five years. Not even going to Mpemba Staff Development Institute to learn government procedures. Kamuzu was strict on this that is why the civil service was ticking. Not the stupid state presidents we have had

Macra nyemba gate scandal
Macra nyemba gate scandal
9 years ago

Newstip: Nyasatimes, tafufuzani za Beans gate ndi MIT gate ku Macra.

kazeze
9 years ago

Mjiba, No. 32, you are right this Director stinks of sleep and incompetence. He is unfit for the position. with such DISPOSITION this Administration has no hope to deliver on what Malawians expect of it i.e services and development. I was expecting to hear from this idiot of a director that Yes I have heard this story and have investigated it already and that either there is merit or not in the matter and this is the course of action that I have taken, not when I wake up from sleep I will investigate. Of late there is a call… Read more »

ma hope a chimwemwe banda
ma hope a chimwemwe banda
9 years ago

@one thousand years; chimwemwe banda ndi wa ine ndisakumvenso apo tikhapana osapeza ena bwanji? monga uyu wa ku MCP, Seodi, Mary waya? ndikumveso ukuti fwefwefwfe ndichita nawe. chimwemwe banda is mine forever

Zanga Phee!
Zanga Phee!
9 years ago

It seems this thing is a virus it won’t stop raining unless other wise,Viola got that post because of Makiyolobasi thing this guy got hissing voice yo!.this issue is very cross cutting issue.It is up to our court to rule out and start a new chapter but if they take it personal it will be generation after generation.See my Name.

Future Watcher
9 years ago

Awonenso mu ma regional offices awo, poor district officers are suffering while the Regional. Officers are enjoying with night allowances . Where is decentralization while this and other ministries are not yet devolved to councils? Bwana minister help your children.

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