via Ministers slept on duty — Charamba – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 8, 2014 by Moses Matenga
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has blasted government’s lukewarm response to corruption cases as Presidential spokesperson George Charamba on Thursday conceded that ministers slept on duty while looting in State-owned firms and parastatals took place.
Charamba’s admission has put President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu PF government under fire with ordinary Zimbabweans demanding swift action to demonstrate that indeed Mugabe was sincere and ready to descend heavily on those implicated in the looting.
Speaking to a local radio station on Thursday, a remorseful Charamba, whose name has appeared in the Premier Services Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) scandal, said he was ready to resign or step down if forced to by a higher authority.
“That’s dereliction of duty on the part of ministries. We slept on the job. That’s the bottom line. Whether we snoozed because we were sleepy or snoozed because we were ignorant, it makes no difference,” Charamba said.
“Zimbabweans are angry and have every reason to be angry. Take, for example, ZBC (Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation). That money which was supposed to have them entertained was being taken to sponsor large lives. Those involved, including myself, should be made to pay. I should relinquish my position. If I am not moved by my conscience, I should be moved by a higher authority.”
Charamba spoke in apparent reference to the ministries of Mines, Media, Health, and Transport, among others, that have been rocked by salary scandals in parastatals under their supervision.
Charamba was bombarded with questions from listeners who questioned his sincerity and took him to task on a number of issues.
The secretary in the ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services said the ministry knew about the ZBC rot, but could not act against the sole broadcaster as that would have weakened Zanu PF prospects ahead of last year’s elections.
The rot in parastatals has angered Zimbabweans who have called for action to demonstrate government’s sincerity in dealing with the decay.
ZCTU yesterday said it was baffled by the lukewarm response of government to cases of corruption, including the “obscene” salaries earned by some executives.
“The ZCTU, since 2011, has been calling for the probing of executive salaries, but the call has been falling on deaf ears. Despite recent revelations of scandalous hefty salaries and benefits at ZBC, PSMAS, Marange Diamonds, Harare City Council and a host of government-owned institutions and parastatals, the State’s response has been ambivalent, signalling connivance in some quarters,” ZCTU
secretary-general Japhet Moyo said.
“We believe these companies had become looting havens for loyalists seconded to them by authorities in government. What is most surprising is that the culprits are staunch Zanu PF supporters and the ZCTU believes the issues will die a natural death just as the high-profile citing of Godwills Masimirembwa over a diamonds bribery case.
“lt is either government slept on duty or its officials were benefiting from the malice. It is high time the State responded fast as the nation is on its knees not because of sanctions as some allege, but institutionalised greed and looting.”
COMMENTS
I believe this culture of entitlement exists in the unions too.
“If I am not moved by my conscience, I should be moved by a higher authority,” says George Charamba.
I have a serious problem with that!
1) If this looting was a one off one could say Charamba had a lapse of his conscience but this is not so is it? The corruption and looting has been going on for the last 34 years. Charamba has been looting at PSMAS, from the generous allowances during the many overseas trips with Mugabe costing typical US$ 3 million a trip, plus a host other opportunities we have yet to know.
Charamba has no more conscience that Jack the Ripper!
2) What “higher authority” is he referring to? Minister Jonathan Moyo? That political prostitute! As for his other boss Mugabe; the tyrant has been doing his own looting and worse still he has the blood of over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans on his hands. Anyone guilt of such serious crimes and that evil has no conscience.
3) The only authority I would recognise here are the ordinary people of Zimbabwe who have paid dearly with money, human suffering and ultimately with their very lives for all the mismanagement, corruption and looting by Mugabe and his thugs.
Sadly the people’s power and authority was repeatedly denied them by the regime by its failed to hold free and fair elections. Something that must now be put right.
Mugabe and Zanu PF rigged the July 2013 elections they must not be allowed to get away with it. The regime is illegitimate and per se it has no authority to decide what should be done with looters like Charamba and Mugabe.
Some one
Why is chikurubi not chikkers full with these zanupf criminals starting with muggersboy bona grce chiyangwa kaukonde mliswa etc
Why is Mugabe so quiet??? What kind of legacy is he showing??? Dr Simba Makoni have asked him that he should come out. Simba Makoni is very transparent
You jokers must just resign! It is the civilised thing to do!
you did not sleep on duty,if the truth be told you were simply benefiting from the system and you turned a blind eye and so did your boss and everyone else.Is it not in zanu pf where you say mbudzi inodya payakasungirirwa.Why opt out only and not to return the stolen monies.thats the problem,,the weakness os the system thieves like you and your other looters are just asked to resign but your media will make headlines of a cellphone thief who steals from a top government official who bought it using stolen money.Hypocrites!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if he resigns, he will re-appear somewhere in the zanu pf pristine jungle. garwe resigned and resurfaced at education in 2007 when he leaked a zjc paper to his daughter. big solo left Harare city council in shame and resurfaced at rio tinto in the late 90s. there is no solution but to kick out and imprison the whole Mugabe regime. Mugabe condones this corruption that’s why his home boys chombo nad chiyangwa are amongst the richest in the country! if anyone is expecting Mugabe to act they are daydreaming. for a man who appoints chombo, mohadi, hungwe and dokora into cabinet and chinamasa at finance you expect seriousness and sanity?
Josphat jirihanga mugadzaweta I can’t agree w u more. Another example is Shava. He left gvt after e Willowgate scandal bt now is an ambassador to China. Chidarikire is another ex he was found w a corpse in e boot of his car bt is now a minister. Mwale was fingered in e assassination of Mabika n Chiminya bt is still a CIO. Elias Kanengoni was convicted for attempted murder bt Mugabe pardoned him and promoted him to a senior post in CIO. There ar too many examples
they have been sleeping since 1980! kurara hope rugare!
One man one vote? One purse one take. No worries you Zanu thugs.
they would opt to resign with billions of money enough to start another planet somewhere!!!!.nooo they must return the loot first then chikurubi….
Shame, shame, shame, i feel so ashamed to be a Zimbabwean today. You left me with no pride stealing from your own desperate vulnerable people
shame shame shame.
A thief called George Charamba wants to wait for the thief in chief, nonagenarian Robert Mugabe to fire him. The other thief called Jonathan said Cuthbert’s decision to authorise the ZBC rot was not theft, just a wrong decision whose penalty is not jail but dismissal. In Mugabe’s eyes stealing is not an offence when you are a Zanu p.f. official so why would Charamba resign?
George Charamba you and your ilk, did not sleep whilst on duty; you had your snouts so deeply buried in the trough and were too busy looting to check what was going on around you.
Take your greedy snouts out the trough, leave your ivory towers and take a visit (if you are brave enough)to wander round the small towns and villages out of Harare and then take a long sniff through your snouts and smell the poverty, desperation and filth that the average Zimbabwean is living in.
where is murimhiwanhasi why not commenting.this is the truth you should contribute to
we talk about all these problems that have been going on since 1980 the time to stand up for ourselves must be on the way at last and get these fools locked up smith and his lot were better at least they did not rip off all the money and all the goverment departments worked trains, water, roads, traffic lights, electric, arda,i dont think there is anything they have not f—ed up.except there bank accounts
We all now know the truth, kunaka kwe MDC nekushata kwe ZANU, you don’t have to resign Charamba, it’s acceptable to do that kana uri we ZANU PF. Vanhu Havana basa imi chete ndimi munokosha. We all know it and to be honest with you… God is the only one who is going to deal with THE CRUEL AND CORRUPT PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND YOUR partners S
Why you the ministers be awake with a 90 year old boss?
Its neither news telling the nation that ‘Mugabe knew about the looting’ nor is it a worth while question from any normal person to ask ‘whether Mugabe knew or not?’
Bottom line is Mugabe is ‘supposed’ to be the CEO of the country and we know all critical appointments in all state institutions at his behest or at least with his full blessings. Line ministries only formalize such appointment, and being their god no Zanu pf minister acts independent of this the 90 yr old zanu pf god. So either way Mugabe has to be always in the loop, both as CEO of Zim & more so as Zanu pf god.
So yes, every level-headed person knows all the looting is sanctioned from above and all the hullabaloo currently gripping the nation will come to nothing. As people are busy making noise, the zanu pf god is also busy creating even more strategic posts for the same guyz to continue looting and continue their lavish styles unabated. Watch is space. I would not even blink an eye if I wake up tomorrow, with Happison Muchetere being the new CEO of PSMAS. Of course, Cashbert wouldn’t face such a demotion as to be announced the new CEO of ZBC. This one has to be given something much higher than the current $230K basic – that’s how Gushungo reward his loyal boyz. He will never let them down.
ZIMRA WAKE UP!!!
Zvabuda pachena. Its corruption and looting and not sunctions destroying zimbabwe. Wake up Zimbabweans.