BY TAURAI MANGUDHLA THE Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz) has begun the hunt for a chief executive officer (CEO) following the departure of Nyasha Chizu last month. Praz chairperson Vimbai Nyemba yesterday confirmed that Chizu had left, adding that he had not been fired. “He was not fired,” Nyemba told NewsDay Business. “We just terminated his contract in line with our constitution which allows us to do so,” she said, noting that the Praz boss left after a “unanimous” board decision to terminate his contract. She could not be drawn into explaining why he left if there were no concerns around his performance or conduct. “We are allowed by the law to do that,” Nyemba said. Chizu could not be reached on his mobile phone. Information at hand shows that Chizu was given a golden handshake by the authority after being sent on forced leave last year. Chizu had become a darling of the private sector after being awarded CEO of the Year in 2018 and Manager of the Year awards in 2019 by Megafest. The former Praz boss has also been credited for professionalising the authority. During his brief tenure as CEO, Chizu won national praise for ushering in an era of transparency at Praz. Under Chizu, Praz partnered Transparency International Zimbabwe to fight corruption in public procurement processes. In 2018, Praz was established as a successor body to the State Procurement Board, through the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act. Follow Taurai on Twitter @mangudhla7
