By Washington Chikombingo
The Rural Electrification Fund (REF) has moved to set the record straight following widespread social media claims that local catering company Eat n Lick was awarded a tender worth USD600,000.
In a press statement issued this Friday, the REF dismissed the claims as false, misleading, and damaging to the Fund’s reputation, clarifying that the actual tender was valued at ZiG 603,600 — not US$603, 600.
The catering contract covered services for 5,000 community members who gathered at Hakwata in Chipinge to witness the commissioning of a 200kW Solar Plant in November 2024. Under the order, Eat n Lick supplied and delivered 5,000 single-slice packs, 5,000 bottles of 500ml soft drinks, and 5,000 bottles of 500ml mineral water.
“The procurement was done strictly in compliance with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [22:23],” reads the statement.
The REF further explained that an administrative error led to the figure being captured as USD 603,600 instead of ZiG 603,600 when tenders awarded in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 were published in the Herald on 31 July 2025.
The Fund urged the public to disregard the false narrative and reiterated its commitment to transparent, lawful, and accountable procurement processes.
