Obert Mpofu's ministry incurs $2m phone bill

Min Ober Mpofu

Auditor-general Mildred Chiri has recommended proper monitoring of telephone usage by staff at the Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry after they incurred a $2 million telephone bill.

According to the Newsday, this was exposed in the audit of the ministry's appropriation account for 2014 where Chiri noted the ministry's telephone bill was high; giving rise to suspicions that staff was probably misusing phones since 2012.

"The ministry's telephones at head office are open to members of staff via the switchboard, but there are no measures in place to control the use of landlines such as limiting the time spent on private calls to reduce the cost of the monthly bill," read Chiri's audit report.

"As a result of weak controls, the Ministry of Transport had an outstanding telephone bill of $1 919 774 dating back to 2012."

Chiri said the risk or implication of the telephone bill was that staff was abusing the telephone facility, leading to huge bills.

"The Ministry of Transport should introduce controls over the usage of telephones so that costs are minimised," the Auditor General said. Newsday