The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts says Parliament will now resort to issuing official summons to Finance and Economic Development permanent secretary George Guvamatanga if he fails to appear before the committee next Monday.
Guvamatanga has failed to appear before the Committee, prompting strong warnings from committee chairperson Chalton Hwende.
“We have asked the Clerk to issue official summons so that they come by way of summons. We normally use this as the last resort. Let’s set again Monday as the final day,” said Hwende earlier today
The committee has plans to expand the inquiry to include Minister Mthuli Ncube due to emerging policy-related concerns.
“Regarding the no shows, it affects the Permanent Secretary because this is the first time that we have invited the Minister. The Permanent Secretary must attend with his team and the Minister on Friday, the 16th of May 2025 at 0900hrs. Failure again (by the Permanent Secretary) means that the clerk must issue summons as per the standing orders,” Hwende said
The absence comes amid increased scrutiny over Zimbabwe’s public finances and rising demands for transparency.
Guvamatanga has a history of snubbing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) since 2020 when Tendai Biti was the chairperson of the Committee.
