ACC CLEARS THABO KAWANA
THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has cleared Ministry of Information and Media director Thabo Kawana over the purchase of brand new motor vehicle for his wife at Southern Cross Motors.
According to ACC head of Corporate Communication Timothy Moono, the Commission had instituted investigations into the source of funding for the purchase of a motor vehicle by Mr Kawana.
He said that the investigations established that Mr Kawana obtained a loan on 15th November 2022 from the Public Service Micro Finance Company amounting to K594, 277 to facilitate the purchase of a motor vehicle GWM P-Series.
“These funds were distributed directly to Southern Cross Motor, Therefore investigations shows that there is no corruption in the manner the vehicle was procured as the source of funding was verified and found to be legal,” he said.
Mr Kawana recently bought his wife a brand new GWM P-Series worth US$52,283 as a Christmas present from Southern Cross.
However the move resulted in Governance and Youth activist Charles Kakula reporting Mr Kawana to the ACC.
Mr Kakula said the country was aware that Mr Kawana was a driver before he was appointed into government and he had worked in the civil service less than two years and that his salary scale could not enable him to acquire such a vehicle.
“How can he buy that expensive vehicle costing $52, 283 when his salary scale is G which simply means he gets paid K15, 000 as a Director,” Mr Kakula said.
Mr Kawana’s move also unsettled some members of the UPND like Lusaka Province Information and Publicity Secretary Matomola Likwanya who criticised Mr Kawana for buying a luxurious vehicle for his wife when many youths were suffering.
Mr Likwanya said that it was unfortunate that Mr Kawana could buy a car worth US$60, 000 translating to K1, 074, 600 when many youths who suffered to usher in this government had not yet started benefitting.
“If you have such amounts of money to buy such an expensive vehicle then how much do you have in your account because you can’t just buy a vehicle and completely remain with nothing in your account,” he said.
Daily Nation
