via Editorial Comment – Salarygate: Heads, torsos should roll | The Herald February 10, 2014
President Mugabe has shown leadership by expressing dismay at the obscene salaries that some heads of parastatals and state enterprises have been paying themselves and the criminal allowances the boards of these same institutions were looting.
Our sister paper, The Sunday Mail, quotes Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo saying the President had directed all ministers under whom these parastatals, state enterprises and local authorities fall, to take full responsibility of their affairs and ensure corrupt activities end.
While the President’s remarks are reassuring, we are disturbed when some senior party officials send the wrong message by defending the indefensible.
They do not help efforts to assuage public rage at what appears to be a pervasive scourge that has been allowed to fester. It is as if each parastatal, state enterprise or local authority were a stand-alone private institution accountable only to its immediate beneficiaries and not to the Government or the people of Zimbabwe.
That should be a deplorable state of affairs. The result is that scarce national resources have been looted by individuals who have betrayed public trust, and should be brought to justice. And the fact that there have been no arrests and subsequent prosecutions ever since these salary scandals were exposed points to a major lacuna in our legal system.
The generality of Zimbabweans are wondering why nobody has been arrested so far? Why have some parastatal heads and local authority CEOs ignored Cabinet’s directive of November 26, 2013 to produce schedules of salaries and board allowances to the Office of the President and Cabinet?
And when the Harare town clerk was suspended by the mayor for ignoring the request for the salary schedule directive but the minister in charge reinstates him, what is the message being conveyed to other CEOs who haven’t complied; to members of the public already inured to a culture of impunity and expect a paradigm shift — immediate action? What does all this say about Government’s own commitment to fight the scourge of corruption? What is the message to law enforcement agents who should otherwise be reacting with urgency to these reports of abuse and gross mis-allocation of public resources?
Put plainly, most of these parastatal heads and their ministers have failed in their fiduciary duty and have no moral or ethical reason to remain in their posts a day longer.
They reflect badly on the calibre of people we engage to spearhead and superintend on the “new economy” we are trying to build.
The nation feels cheated and short-changed that while ordinary people are told to tighten their belts in the face of ruinous sanctions, there are rapacious fellow countrymen who have no compunction about paying themselves salaries higher than those paid to CEOs of some of the largest global corporations.
Service delivery in our local authorities is a sick joke.
Parastatals, which otherwise should spearhead execution of Government programmes with the minister there to give policy direction as guided by Cabinet deliberations, have been reduced by some to family piggy-banks while low-level employees who toil the most provide free, slave labour!
Perhaps in due course when finally the wheels of justice begin to turn the nation shall be told where these criminal salaries were being banked.
Our banks have long complained about low levels of savings and that they are not able to provide affordable loans to our young entrepreneurs. Farmers have not been able to access loans. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa has been begging for external assistance to fund Zim-Asset. Everywhere a red flag has been raised about corruption.
Where is the loot?
COMMENTS
If the President wants to show leadership he must first except responsibility for this fiasco. When he has done this he must prosecute those involved without fear or favour. Their ill-gotten gains must be returned to the economy. The heads of Ministries involved must resign. This cannot happen because these people know too much, so we wait for the implosion which is sure to come.
There is surely no leadership shown here. Mugabe surely knew what was going on. This is a serious matter, from his own mouth we want to hear him denounce this and spell out what he is going to do about it and when. Its also a big shame that opposition parties are not showing any credible leadership in pushing for redress. Where is WOZA!!!!!
This idiot Chombo reversed the Mayor’s decision to suspend Tendai Mahachi in broad daylight and Mugabe knows all that. So why all of a sudden Mugabe has become a great leader without taking responsibility himself. These thieves must all go. Taneta nemakudo aya
The Herald should know where the loots have gone,if they do a little investigative journalism a bit without fear.We hold the public media responsible for the saga because in the past their reporting concentrated in partisanship style.
If we had a progressive media these loots could have been spotted in good time before the nation’s resources were completely damaged by these economic mercenaries.
No politician should try to silence the masses who have had their life savings looted for the second time within 4 years. Mr Gono took all our savings before and we did not make noises but things are different now.
DON’T PANIC ZIMBABWE, THE VERY SAME THINGS ARE HAPPENING HERE IN THE UK. THE DIFFERENCE IS, HERE THEY HAVE HAD FAR MORE EXPERIENCE OF HIDING SUCH THINGS. YOU WILL LEARN, GIVEN ANOTHER 100 YEARS OR SO.
Let the UK WITH ITS CORRUPTION, who cares? Here we are talking about the rot and out of this world corruption which has destroyed our country, ZIMBABWE.
Why? Because you pay taxes? Theft on the level of ZANUPF is unknown anywhere. What is the unemployment rate in the UK? Is the UK holding out its hand begging the rest of the world, while officials rob the nation? Hopefully, in 100 years Zim will indeed have recovered from the ZANUPF looting, and be prosperous like the UK.
@ Mike H
Corruption is minimal in the UK – and don’t forget they the Brreeetheesh maintain an economy larger than that of the entire African Union. There’s no comparison.
This is what we have been shouting our voices hoarse about since 1997 when they looted the war victims compensation fund but we have been labelled sellouts.mugabe and his goons have been in charge while all this was happening,saka chitsva chii ipapa.totenda dzamwa dzaswera nebenzi.real leadership will be to fire chombo like yesterday and investigate him pronto.otherwise dont try to pull wool over our eyes.where is my brother/sister murimi wanhasi,would like your input my fellow zimbo..ki ki ki.
What a big joke, with these scoundrels in power!
MikeH is quite correct about corruption in the UK, in fact it is a worldwide phenomena. Wherever there are politicians there is corruption, however they don’t do it so blatantly by paying themselves ridiculous salaries while not offering services to the populace. The impunity that this has been done with here is because they felt they were untouchable. None of us will be here in 100 years time so we cannot take any comfort from your statement. Sorry sir but we have very reason to panic.
Perhaps corruption is everywhere, but in the UK they don’t fortify it with guns and brutality. The difference with a reptilian brain is right there to behold.
Action shld be taken bcz we our tired of these looters. President mst speak with action bcz his ministries is destroying our country.
I do not think it is correct to say that the corruption here and in the UK or the US is the same.The truth of the matter is that corruption is world wide. But in the UK and the USA if you are caught you get arrested and are sent to prison. In Zimbabwe you get promoted. Come on guys, in Zimbabwe it is becoming a way of life… How many Zimbabweans can say they don’t meet it day in day out..We need LAW AND ORDER.
Yes Sir..!
The big picture my friends has been forgotten. We now know why Zanu did not want the GNU thus the rigged election. The coward opposition has no voice now. They should be calling for impeachment or lack of cönfidence in this government. The constitution has been violated by people in the highest office and this is a crime chete. We want actiön now or else you the oppositiön will not win the next election. ZUNDE might so beware.
How do you show leadership by express dismay. you show leadership by firing people who make you look bad
President Mugabe has shown leadership by expressing dismay !!!! Wow — is he dismayed that they were exposed?
THEY WONT ROLL. MASIMIREMBWA IS STILL HAPPILY ENJOYING HIS LOOT. SO ARE THE REST. WE KNOW THE FACTIONS COMPETE ON CORRUPTION.
When did Prof. Jono became the CEO of ZIM’s spokesman? l smell a rat here. The CEO when shout abt the Brits & Tsangs he talks himself. Nothing is going to happen here until we all stand up as true sons 6 daughter of Zimbabwe to fight for our rights
Zimbos should take to the street in such a manner that Mugabe trembles. Everyone should show their disgust at the government chete
Look at the situation agri bank broke, zesa owed 800 mil, army police short paid, abc staff not paid teachers short and every other budget short except the govt gravey train comon on Zimbabwe why should we let this zanupf gravy train continua?
Why should Heads roll over this late morning dew? ZIMASSET is now taking shape and the requisite experience is now in practice
What did Mahacha said to Chombo that made him jump so high?
Had it not been that Jonso The Rubble Rouser was now at the helm at Public Media I would have said the Herald is shedding Crocodile tears. But then gain, it is, in a different sense. Ask Joyce Mujuru The Uneasy One.
WHAT LEADERSHIP, HE IS THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF, HEAD OF GOVERNMENT HE MUST ALSO RESIGN WITH HIS CABINET MINISTERS!!!!!!!.