Tinashe Madava, Business Reporter
A ROW between the Ministry of Energy and Power Development's Permanent Secretary, Justin Mupamhanga, and Peter Mufunda, an administrator at the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), threatens to disrupt operations at the regulatory body which has operated without a substantive head.
Mufunda, who has been running ZERA as the administrator, is a legal advisor at the Ministry of Energy and Power Development. He is currently fighting for a right to be transferred to ZERA on a permanent basis, saying currently, he is holding two jobs.
He was appointed to the Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Commission (ZERC), the predecessor of ZERA, in October 2009 by former energy minister, Elias Mudzuri. ZERC became ZERA last year.
Mufunda last month took Mupamhanga to court to compel him to grant him permanent transfer to ZERA.
Sources said Mufunda was currently on leave, forcing ZERA board chairperson, Canada Malunga, to assume executive roles within the authority. Malunga is not an executive chairperson at ZERA.
The Financial Gazette's Companies & Markets understands that ZERA has a staff complement of nine people, a situation which has compromised the operations of the entity.
Mupamhanga reportedly blocked the transfer of Mufunda to ZERA, saying he could remain at the ministry while conducting ZERA business.
Mufunda accuses Mupamhanga of refusing to forward his secondment papers to the Minister of Energy, Elton Mangoma, to enable the Public Service Commission to facilitate the transfer.
Contacted for comment, Mupamhanga referred this newspaper to Malunga who apparently had also refused to comment on the matter, saying it was the prerogative of the ministry.
"What ZERA administrator? Have you seen the structure of ZERA? Talk to the chairperson of ZERA, otherwise I have no comment," said Mupamhanga when asked to comment on the status of Mufunda.
Mufunda also declined to comment when contacted this week, only saying: "A ministerial appointment is a secondment. You get a new contract. I think you should talk to my lawyer about this."
Malunga was appointed to the ZERA board by Mangoma last September.
Other ZERA board members are Betty Katiyo, Tendai Mhere, Tapuwa Mashingaidze, Hilda Shindi and Ndomupeyi Flora Chikonye.
The statutory entity is an autonomous body whose function is to regulate the procurement, production, transportation, transmission, distribution, importation and exportation of energy derived from any source.
ZERA also co-ordinates the import, export and pooling of energy from energy sources in the region.
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