Hwende under fire for misleading claims over Guvamatanga hearing
Charlton Hwende, the Kuwadzana East legislator and chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), is facing backlash for allegedly misleading the public by suggesting that Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga had snubbed a scheduled appearance before Parliament.
Contrary to Hwende’s remarks, it has now emerged that Guvamatanga is due to appear before the committee on 23 May 2025 — not the previous day as implied.
According to official correspondence, Guvamatanga responded to the committee’s invitation with a letter dated 8 May 2025, requesting additional time to compile documentation required for the committee’s investigation.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has also been summoned separately to respond to policy-related questions.
In a twist, it was Hwende himself who publicly announced the new hearing date via his official X (formerly Twitter) account. In the post, the PAC chair explained that the hearing into the Auditor General’s findings had been postponed at Guvamatanga’s request.
“Today’s hearing into the Auditor General’s findings on the Ministry of Finance was postponed after the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Guvamatanga, wrote to Parliament and requested more time to compile documents required by the Committee,” Hwende wrote.
“The Committee is scrutinizing $400M in Treasury direct payments bypassing line ministries contrary to standard PFMA procedures.
“The Ministry will now appear before the Committee on Friday, 23 May at 10 AM. Venue: New Parliament Building, 3rd Floor, Committee Room 15.”
The committee is seeking detailed records of payments made to several entities, including Fertilisers Seed Grain (FSG), Ziminya Dam Construction, Ventures Borehole & Exploration, Nyika Kanengoni, RenForm CC, Semwa Dam, and Makomo Engineering.
A fellow PAC member, speaking anonymously, questioned Hwende’s motives for publicly criticizing Guvamatanga despite having acknowledged the rescheduled hearing.
“It was surprising. As chair, Hwende had already shared the new date. We’re not sure who he was trying to impress by claiming Guvamatanga was being evasive.
“Maybe he was under pressure to be confrontational, but this wasn’t necessary. The request for more time was properly made and accepted,” the MP said, adding that the matter seemed more performative than partisan.
