eBusiness Weekly
Tapiwanashe Mangwiro
The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) board did not follow proper procedures in granting medical doctors a retention allowance.
Boardroom fights have been playing out at the state-run entity for quite some time now.
An internal audit investigation report, titled “Doctors Retention Allowances” gleaned by this publication, reveals that the management must face the music for disregarding due process.
The then NSSA board chair, Dr Percy Toriro, asked internal audit, via the audit committee chairperson, to evaluate the audit trail of the doctors’ allowance resolutions in order to help the board move forward.
The audit’s goal was to determine if the proper governance procedures were followed in the awarding and payment of retention bonuses to NSSA medical doctors.
“Board Resolution 9/8/11/2022 states that “NSSA medical doctors be paid a retention allowance”. However, the conditions precedent were not met in full on implementation. There is no evidence of concurrence between the HR committee and the Finance committee on the final figures before payment of the doctors’ allowances.
“Condition C states that the HR committee was to consult the Finance committee on the proposed amounts. The consultation between the HR committee and the Finance committee was to determine the financial capacity to pay.
“A memo on the subject has been provided for but has no signatures on the space where the Finance committee chair was supposed to sign. The memo has a recommendation signed by the Director Finance and ICT,” reads the report.
According to the report, there is no proof that the proposed allowance levels were evaluated by the entire board in accordance with the resolution.
“Audit confirmed with two sampled members of the board through mail and telephone interviews that the actual figures were not shared. Payment was done based on the approval of the Human Resources committee chair and the Acting Board Chair. However, the board resolution stated that the proposed figures be shared with the full board for approval.
“Whereas condition “B” of the board resolution states that “management was to provide the recommended amounts to the Human Resources, PR and Marketing committees, there is no evidence that management provided the recommended amounts to the committee. However, the amounts were shared with the HR Committee chairperson, who approved them,” the report stated.
The report indicates that there is a memo from Dr. C. Shava to a Mrs. Mathe, chair of the Human Resources committee, dated December 20, 2022, with a copy to Dr. P. Toriro, chairman of the board, requested approval for a retention allowance at 115 percent of the US$3 200 base salary, bringing the new income to US$6 800.
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has since arrested Dr Shava over the matter.
In order to prevent bad press for the company, the report recommended that the whistleblowing facility be reviewed to ensure that staff complaints are escalated to the appropriate management or board levels.
