Featured image: Wicknell Chivayo tours at ZiTF with President Mnangagwa
We too were taken aback by the prices on the invoice for technology equipment supposedly issued to Zimbabwe Electoral Commission by a South African company Renform.
The allegations are that an SA company, Renform, was used by controversial local businessman, Wicknell Chivayo and his colleagues to sell technology equipment to ZEC at inflated prices, in exchange for a commission. Apparently, commissions to the tune of $1m.
This invoice was topical on Zim social media this past week. Topical because an apparent leaked audio (whose authenticity is still not clear) discusses payments around this invoice.
It’s clear that the prices are inflated. But we thought it’d make better sense to get actualy prices of the equipment invoiced from an actual retailer of technology equipment in Zimbabwe.
Whether these allegations are true or not is still not clear, and the article is not meant to answer that. We were more interested in the general value of the items. So we asked one local retailer who supplies this equipment to quote us the same. Below are the unit prices they gave us. They only provided price for what they have in stock. They obviously don’t stock BVR kits and did not give prices for those.
The prices include VAT. This is important because the Renform prices do not.
| Item | Alleged Price Invoiced to ZEC | Local Retailer Price (inc VAT) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Server (HP Proliant dl380 gen10) | $1 264 865 | $4 140 |
| 2 | Server Software | $126 030 | $1 550 |
| 3 | Servicing Contract (SLA Hardware & Software) | $1 505 440 | 30% of contract |
| 4 | BVR Kits | $15 759 | n/a |
| 5 | IWB Software | $14 716 | n/a |
| 6 | LICENSES | $2 080 355 | n/a |
| 7 | DELL XPS Laptop – 15.6 inch, FHD+ Laptop – Intel Core i7- 12700H 1TB SSD 32GB RAM Win 11 Pro | $4 146 | $2 200 |
| 8 | COLOUR PRINTER HP M455 | $1 133 | $450 |
| 9 | Printer Cartridges (Set of CMYK 6000+ Pages) | $1 455 | $400 |
| 10 | USB Flash Drive 16GB | $7.5 | $5 |
| 11 | Samsung Galaxy Tab – A7 32GB | $422 | $220 |
| 12 | USB Cable for Printer | $9.30 | $5 |
Totals compared
We wanted to get the full picture of the totals so here’s a table of that below:
| Item | Qty | Alleged Price Invoiced to ZEC | Local Retailer Price (inc VAT) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Server (HP Proliant dl380 gen10) | 1 | $1 264 865 | $4 140 |
| 2 | Server Software | 1 | $126 030 | $1 550 |
| 7 | DELL XPS Laptop – 15.6 inch, FHD+ Laptop – Intel Core i7- 12700H 1TB SSD 32GB RAM Win 11 Pro | 6 | $24 876 | $13 200 |
| 8 | COLOUR PRINTER HP M455 | 1 | $1 133 | $450 |
| 9 | Printer Cartridges (Set of CMYK 6000+ Pages) | 2 | $2 910 | $800 |
| 10 | USB Flash Drive 16GB | 250 | $1 875 | $1 250 |
| 11 | Samsung Galaxy Tab – A7 32GB | 6 | $2 532 | $1 320 |
| 12 | USB Cable for Printer | 1 | $9.30 | $5 |
| Totals | $1,424,230 | $22,715 |
Based on the above, if it is indeed true that ZEC was invoiced and paid the invoice, it paid about $1.5m for equipment worth just $23k.
This is excluding the prices of BVR kits, which the local technology retailer does not stock. It also excludes the Servicing Contract which we have no way of determining locally beyond the indication that it would be 30% of the value.
26 comments
Are qualified accounts and qualified purchasing government employees involved when such papers are authorised? How good are government employees with numbers? A recent report on request for food aid compared to Malawi and Zambia showed that we had the highest cash amount requested per person to be helped than the other two, as if we eat chicken and chips from the red and yellow boxes twice a day.
Even the other contracts, e.g for roads, bridges and the Mbudzi roundabout need to be looked at.
What makes people afraid is that purchasing and disposal of assets by some government entities had been played to be done in secret as policy, but had to be reversed on paper.
Blamepoles and witch hunts but go on.
🙂
This is Dumb corruption , Stupidity at its highest level.Thieves who move around calling themselves business man.Shame on you guys
Kuuraya Nyika. Nyika yóurayiwa nevene vayo
Kudya zvevapfupi nekureba. Taxpayers money in wolves custody!!!!
Yeaaa but that server can cost a lot more if you have higher specs
It can even cost 150k from hp.
Local supplier is qouting a server with 16 gb ram whilst the same server can take more than 2tb of ram
If you are reporting tech please be technical
Let’s say we use your $150k , still we agree the server was over priced right? And our procurement system is super corrupt ? That’s the point being driven by the article….
Yes, you make sense
Wake up , taps can’t yu see the game played by this chivayo
Meanwhile, there aren’t any antibiotics at Pari. Disgraceful
We need new leaders!
Who buys a Dell XPs 15 for 4k? Even custom manufactured doesn’t cost that much
The cost of the license, I metre here randikuona iro😂😂
Clearly we do not have experienced enough people in technology in our gvt bodies and other entities.
Vanhu vanofunga kuti zvikanzi server meaning rakutodhura…they could have easily bagged a mainframe computer for that price.
Put us on amana tipindewo muma organization maybe we might contribute sense!
Mbavha dzirikuba shuwa 24/7.
Zimbos are amazing. All the reaction on social media. Its truly astounding. I mean what is surprising here, we have seen such antiques before, numerous times. Yet, come election time, the very same people, will either find every excuse not to vote or they will vote the same leaders back into power.
How many local currencies do we have to abandon before we agree something must be done, how many scandals do we have to gasp about, how many more crisis do we have to endure , before we say enough is enough. At this point, I don’t even blame the powers that be.WE are the problem. We have allowed this to happen. NXA!!!!
There’s no free elections in our country
Techzim can you tell us about this recent developments or anyone who knows what’s going on.
Crypto laws: Zimbabwe asks for public input on cryptoasset operations as it works on regulatory policy for the sector.
To paraphrase Denzil Washington in the movie “Training Day”…. ” They own this country we just live here.”
So while you see outright incompetence coupled with disgusting levels of corruption they see it as just another Monday.
So cry all you want, but nothing will come of it.
Zimbabwe is open for business corruption…
To be half a devils advocate, are they embedding the costs of services or extended warrantees? I don’t think its what’s happening but thought I would ask
ZACC, ZEC, ZANU all are the same
Thats zim
Looting regime
ZEC employees should be the ones to be arrested, not Chivhayo or the SA company. They had the power not to award the contract to an expensive quotation.
Zec, zanu, zacc are all synonyms of corruption
This article was very enlightening. Appreciate your effort in writing it. Solar