Dar es Salaam — The government yesterday kicked out almost the entire top brass at the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) in a move that saw director general Awadh Massawe and the authority's board chairman, Prof Joseph Msambichaka shown the door.
Permanent Secretary for the Transport ministry, Dr Shaban Mwinjaka, under whose docket TPA falls, was also sent home as President John Magufuli sustained the pressure on corruption and lack of accountability in the public sector.
The sacking of Mr Mwinjaka and Mr Massawe as well as the disbandment of the TPA board follows an ongoing crackdown on tax evasion at the country's largest port, a situation that is said to deny the government billions of shillings in revenue every year.
Hobbling operations at the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRL) where Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa revealed a recent inspection has established that Sh13 billion had been misused, were some of the reasons that also cost the Transport PS his job.
The President's decision was communicated yesterday by Mr Majaliwa at a press conference in his office in Dar es Salaam as the new Head of State seeks to right up things at TPA and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), seen as key revenue income sources for the cash strapped government.
The PM said Dr Magufuli acted due to failure by officials responsible to address other deep rooted administrative flaws within TPA.
Other than those sent packing by the President under whose authority they were appointed, Mr Majaliwa announced the dismissal of four senior TPA officers and eight middle level managers, bringing to about 25, TPA officers sent home in the current purge. He directed that all the 12 be arrested to help in the ongoing investigation to recover billions lost through tax evasion.
Mr Majaliwa, who was flanked at the press conference by Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue warned that his administration won't not tolerate any schemes by a clique of corrupt employees and some private citizens to steal from public coffers.
"The port is an essential utility that, if well managed, can bring in huge amounts of revenues which will boost the national income. The government is not going to tolerate the few individuals or a gang out to use their offices to sabotage the systems and steal the revenues in any way," said Majaliwa.
The axe on TPA and at the ministry headquarters was long coming since the discovery of nearly 3,000 cargo containers that had been cleared recently from the port before payment of taxes estimated at Sh80 billion. Eight suspects including senior TRA officials were charged in court on Friday with abetting this matter.
The PM has made two successive impromptu visits to the port, on November 27 and December 4 this year to uncover the rot that has seen top brass at TRA also affected.
Those sacked by Majaliwa were top managers including Ibin Masoud (Acting TPA Director of Finance), Apolonia Mosha (Assistant Port Manager-finance), Shaaban Mngazija (former TPA Revenue manager) and Rajab Mdoe (director of Finance and Head of ICDs). Mr Mdoe had just been appointed TPAs deputy director-corporate services.
"These are the top official without whose authority no movement of containers from the port to ICDs would take place. They would have easily known that containers had been cleared without due taxes being paid but they did not take any action," said the PM.
The eight senior managers are TPAs ICD (Inland Container Depots) supervisors, Happygod Naftari, Juma Zaar, Steven Naftali Mtui, Titi Ligwalike,Lydia Prosper Kimaro, Mkango Alli, Jogn Elisante and James Kimwimwa who had been transferred to Mwanza.
Mr Majaliwa ordered immediate arrest of the officers so they could help the ongoing investigations to nab all business people who evaded paying tax and recollect the lost revenues.
The TPA's top office has been a hot seat in the recent past over corruption charges, witnessing three DGs sacked in three years. Mr Massawe who was axed yesterday had only been confirmed as DG by immediate former president Jakaya Kikwete on October. Before that he was serving as Acting DG from January 16, 2015 after his predecessor Madeni Kipande was removed by the then Transport Minister Samuel Sitta on claims of violating procurement procedures.
Mr Kipande took over the reins of TPA in August 2012 from Ephraim Mgawe who was sacked by the then Transport Minister Harrison Mwakyembe on number of allegations, including corruption and theft at Dar es Salaam Port. On June 2013, Mr Mgawe was charged with abuse of office along with his former deputy, Hamad Koshuma, who was in charge of port services. The case is still moving at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court.
President Magufuli has already sacked Commissioner General of Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Rished Bade over the same scandal while other seven sacked TRA officials including Commissioner for Customs and Excise Duty Tiagi Masamaki are standing trial over the matter.
President Magufuli also on Thursday last week provided a seven-day grace period to businessmen who have evaded tax to go and voluntarily pay or face arrest and court charges by the end of the ultimatum. On Friday, TRA records showed that Sh6 billion which part of the lost revenues had already been collected.
The tax avoidance scandal in the port was exposed by PM Majaliwa when he made an impromptu tour at the port on November 27, and revealed that 329 containers were cleared out of the port without paying revenues. He made a second unannounced visit to the port last Thursday and made a more staggering revelation that 2,387 containers had been illegally cleared between March and September 2014. Four ICDs were involved in the scam and they are JEFAG, DICD, PMM and AZAM.
On his second tour to the port, PM Majaliwa was annoyed by TPA leadership for dealing with 'small fishes' in handling the scandal and said that would not be tolerated. He also inspected a system of receiving and releasing cargo and the payment system that he yesterday insisted that it should be transformed from current billing system to e-payment by Friday, Nov 11.
Mr Majaliwa also hinted on his yet Thursday impromptu visit to the Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) head offices and said he had learnt that more than 13 billion had been misused. "The investigation is ongoing and we'll take actions when we're done with it, and we will inform you of it. We have a vision of stronger TRL and the government is going to take all required steps to realize that" he said.
