(Last Updated on February 9, 2014 by Editor)
ZIMBABWE – ACTING President Joice Mujuru has castigated the exposure of corrupt activities in parastatals and related companies in the media, saying this might be the work of detractors bent on destroying Government and stall its programmes.
Over the past four weeks the media converged to expose graft in parastatals, state enterprises and quasi-Government institutions that has left the generality of people calling for a commission of enquiry into the operations of public enterprises that should be at the forefront of operationalising the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset), the country’s five-year development programme.
Mujuru, who was addressing the Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial women’s conference in Chinhoyi on Saturday, said the graft cases should not be discussed in the media.
“Nditeererei madzimai, chandiri kukuudzai ndochinhu chekupedzisira,” she said. “Iyi nyaya yatiri kutaura iyi yehuori hwemaparastatals muchenjere kuti ndeimwe nzira yaunzwa nevanhu vari kuda kupwanya nyika ino iyi.“Vari kuziva kuti chii chakabata nyika yeZimbabwe. They know what is done by our parastatals. They will go and talk to some of our people and do what is happening.
“Vanotaura kuti kana tabva kuZBC, toenda kuZESA, toenda kuZINWA. Regai kuzoti vanhu vacho havasi veZanu-PF, aiwa, zvinonzi kana usingagone kumukurira unomujoina, worova uchibva mukati make, saka mochenjera. Saka tiri kuti nyaya iri mumaoko mehofisi yaPresident.”The Acting President said the corruption cases were not the business of newspapers, saying the way the cases were being exposed raised eyebrows.
“Nyaya idzi hadzitongwe mumanewspaper,” she said. “Inyaya dzinonyatsogadzirwa magadzirirwo adzo, asi unozoona mamhanyisirwo adzinoitwa mumapaper wozvibvunza futi kuti haa saka vanotaura kuti inyaya dzekuda kupwanya hurumende nekupwanya musangano weZanu-PF zvechokwadi vari pamwe chete nevanhu vari kuita izvi,’’ she said.
Mujuru accused people of wasting their time on useless issues and accused some Zanu-PF members of fighting from within to destroy Government programmes.
“Saka madzimai zvirikutidyira nguva yedu hazvina basa,” she said. “Izvi zvekudyiwa kwemazimari, izvi zvatargeta maparastatals edu atiri kuchema kuti Zesa hatina maindustry, we want more Zesa iye zvino kunounzwa maproject.
“Regai nditi mabusiness ndanga ndajairawo semi, mabusiness ekuita masolar power, mahydro power unoona ichitora gore nemwedzi inoraudza ichingotaurwa, ichingotaurwa, nhai varume muri kumboziva here kuti pananamai vaneCaesar vari kufa magetsi adzima, muri kumboziva here kuti kune vana vari kufa vari pamaoxygen magetsi adzima nekushomeka kana maproject anobata vanhu pakupa mabasa, pakupa hupenyu. Handisi kuti tyorai mutemo.”
Mujuru said timelines for projects should be shortened, but there were some who were deliberately delaying progress. “You do exactly what is supposed to be done, but with limits, limited time,” she said. “Timelines ngadzishotenwe, asi mozongoona chete munhu achiti kana ndiri ndini ndiripo ndichatozoisunungura ndada. Ndozvimwe zvatinenge tichitsvaga kuoneswa kuti tiudzei kuoffice kwedu vanhu vakadaro vanogarira mapaper emabusiness plans arikufanira kufambisa Zim Asset.
“Tawanzirwa vanhu vapfekenyedza mukati medu, vakuchifighter from within kuti mabeautiful programmes akadai, mabusinesses akadai asabudirire. Imi masvinura, maudzwa kare maakuziva. Watch out for those saboteurs and report. Maita zvenyu,” she said.
The Acting President said corruption in the corporate and public sectors had no place in the country’s economic development trajectory encapsulated in Zim Asset.
“What we read in the newspapers about what is happening at PSMAS and other public enterprises is disturbing and should not be allowed,’ she said. “Zim Asset is against that. Selfishness should go away.”
She said measures needed to be taken to deal with greed which morphed into a culture bleeding the economy.
VP Mujuru said women had a key role to play in the implementation of Zim Asset which would see their lives improve.
She thanked the African Union for electing President Mugabe to be the first vice chairperson for the AU Bureauand for standing by Zimbabwe against the European Union decision to bar Zimbabwe from the EU-Africa Summit scheduled for Belgium in April.
President Mugabe has already ordered ministers to take full charge of state-linked forms falling under their portfolios and ensure culprits of corruption and corporate mis-governance are account for their pillaging.
In an interview with our sister paper The Sunday Mail at the weekend, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo said President Mugabe told cabinet last week that there would be no sacred cows.
“Dismayed by the undeniable rot which is allegedly rampant among the 78 parastatals and State enterprises and the 92 local authorities in the country, and whose extent includes corruption of the tender and procurement processes as well as price distortions to the detriment of ordinary consumers, His Excellency the President, RG Mugabe, on Tuesday directed all Cabinet ministers to take full responsibility of the affairs of their ministries and of the parastatals, State enterprises or local authorities under their supervision to ensure that the rot is brought to an end by holding those culpable to account and to protect public assets and funds.
“The President’s directive means that the buck must start with the honourable cabinet ministers, and that is as it should indeed be. In ridding our country of this culture of corruption, there must be no sacred cows, whatever the position of those involved,” he said.
Prof Moyo added that some State-linked companies were yet to fully disclose their “obscene and corrupt” salary structures as directed to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda.
He also revealed that several of these companies did not have properly-constituted boards or were operating outside of their parameters in addition to not fulfilling their mandates.