A Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) employee was promoted into a position, which does not exist within the firm’s structures and, in a bizarre set-up, was partitioned a portion of the office of the chief executive officer to work from, ZiMetro News has learnt.
This strange arrangement provided ammunition to those, within the company, who claim there was a romantic workplace relationship between Rutendo Mangatu and suspended chief executive Mark Mabhudhu.
Both have denied the allegations with Mabhudhu telling H-Metro last week that this was part of a smear campaign to tarnish his image by those who orchestrated his suspension from work.
Mangatu also dismissed the allegations and defended Mabhudhu as an upright and very professional man while also sensationally claiming there was rampant sexual abuse at ZCDC.
She claimed senior executives have been pestering her for sex since her arrival at the firm in 2017 and she would lift the lid on their shameless activities in due course.
Ironically, Mangatu has not reported for work since the day Mabhudhu was suspended.
She first took a two-week leave break, on the day the suspension was effected, and added another five days.
She is expected back at work today.
But, her meteoric rise has surprised many at the firm and this hasn’t been helped by the bizarre set-up where she was working directly from the CEO’s office.
Within one year, Mangatu was promoted THREE times, including into a very senior ghost position, which doesn’t exist in the company’s structures.
On one occasion, she told her boss, Mabhudhu that she had received a lucrative offer from NMB Bank, and the chief executive asked his colleagues to find ways of how they could counter the offer and retain her services.
“The guys said it could help if they saw the offer letter from NMB Bank and the conditions they were offering her so that they could work out how they could counter it,” sources told H-Metro.
“Strangely, the offer letter from NMB was not availed because they said it was confidential even though they were the ones who had brought it up for discussion and consideration.
“Of course, she got her improved perks.”
Her spectacular rise saw her travelling to a number of countries, on business, including Dubai, South Africa and Botswana, where she received thousands of dollars in allowances and related perks.
In all her trips, suspended chief executive, Mabhudhu would also travel.
In one particular trip to Botswana, Mabhudhu flew to the neighbouring country while Mangatu took a road trip, in which she was ferried there in her suspended boss’ car, before also being driven back home.
Mangatu arrived at ZCDC on a student attachment contract effective from January 2, 2018, on a basic allowance of US$293,25 per month.
She had officially been given the offer the previous year.
The company was persuaded to consider her because “she was an orphan from the area it operated in”.
On January 10, 2019, she was engaged as an IT Assistant (Grade B3) on a basic salary of US$667,75 per month and on March 31, 2021, her basic salary was increased to US$1 013,35 per month.
She was reporting to the ICT Manager.
On March 1, 2022, she was promoted to the contentious position of Information and Knowledge Management Analyst reporting directly to the CEO.
She then even shifted base and started working directly from inside the suspended CEO’s office.
However, documents show that this arrangement, including her promotion, was irregular because her new post was not included in the company’s structure.
“The last approved structure was signed in the year 2020. The position was not there,” the documents indicate.
“However, there was a proposed 2023 organogram which was not approved and signed for where the position of Knowledge Management and Information Analyst exists.
“Human Resources does not have the ID for this position in file.
“The ZCDC Job Evaluation and Grading exercise were done in 2017 before this position existed.
“At the time of implementation of the Job Grading exercise last year in March 2022, the position was then included in the CEO’s office template as part of sore thumbing.
“A CSR recommendation through the CEO’s office cited (her) as an orphan who had lost both parents. However, hearsay suggests that the mother is still alive and resident in Mutare.”
The documents add:
“She joined ZCDC in February 2018 on a casual contract as ICT Assistant (Grade B3) prior to the coming in of Mabhudhu.
“She was appointed by Dr Mabhudhu on a fixed term contract as ICT Assistant effective the 1st of April 2021.
“She was appointed as ICT Systems Administrator on September 1, 2021, after it had been alleged that she had received a lucrative offer from NMB Bank.
“Moved from ICT to CEO’s office as ICT Systems Administrator reporting directly to the CEO.
“Was appointed Knowledge Management and Information Analyst on 1st of March 2023 upon implementation of the Job Grading results despite the said position having not been graded. She was now reporting directly to the CEO.
“The position was then included in the CEO’s office tea plate as part of sore thumbing.
“Within one year (between April 2021 to March 2022) she rose from Grade C1 to D1.”
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