via Mugabe must lead corruption fight – The Standard February 9, 2014
Zimbabweans were told last week that President Robert Mugabe had been “angered” by the extent of the corruption and plunder of public funds through ridiculously high pay cheques and hefty allowances paid to top officials.
Only the gullible must have believed that Mugabe was not aware of the looting at public institutions. The case of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) workers, for example, was well-publicised.
Disgruntled employees who had gone for months without pay last year wrote letters to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and the Ministry of Information detailing the looting at ZBC.
They exposed how Chief Executive Officer Happison Muchechetere and other top managers earned astronomical salaries while they wallowed in poverty. Muchechetere even tried to cover his tracks by suing this paper which carried stories about the looting at the state broadcaster.
It baffles the mind that Mugabe may have failed to hear about these accusations and reports about corrupt activities happening at other parastatals.
These reports prompted the inclusive government to push for a corporate governance framework, to stop the rot. Mugabe himself launched the drive which was spearheaded by former State Enterprises minister, Gorden Moyo.
There is no way Mugabe, who has a tight grip on all state institutions and receives detailed intelligence briefings, could have failed to know the malfeasance at parastatals which have bled the economy for a long time.
We discern an attempt to clean up Mugabe’s image which has been soiled by the sordid details of corruption happening under the Zanu PF government’s watch.
Mugabe should move out of this denial mode and own up, that corruption has spiralled out of control and drastic measure have to be adopted if society is to be rid of the culture of looting. He needs to show leadership by openly denouncing the plundering at the parastatals, naming and shaming the looters like he did in the case of Godwills Masimirembwa whom he accused of soliciting a US$6 million bribe.
Mugabe should also instruct Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri to investigate Masimirembwa and other officials accused of milking public bodies and PSMAS.
COMMENTS
Fat chance of bob the sleepover man doing anything to upset Zanu.
Mr Mugabe why don’t you resign? We do not want you
“Only the gullible must have believed that Mugabe was not aware of the looting at public institutions.” So true. Even Mugabe apologists aren’t so stupid to actually believe their own lies that he is innocent. He is as guilty as sin… and the day is soon when he will pay the eternal price for it.
Mr Mugabe is corruption. President Hapana Basa.
How can the key participant in corruption be expected to act against himself? Besides, the man is 90 and doesnt have the energy to do anything other than rant and rave against the west and then sleep.
How can Robberry Mgabe investigate or root out any corruption when he is the NuMBER ONE corrupt person in Zanu Pf. Not only is he a muderer and a pepetrator genocide he is a thief and a looter par excellence with any equal in the world for self enrichment through corruption.
He has many houses all over the far East. He has 15 farms and manhy buisnesses in Zimbabwe. his prostitute Disgrace with who he has having an adulturous affair while his wife Sally lay dying, is now a multimillionaire.
Mugabe himself is billionaire with all these illgotten gains stashed away in swiss banks the middle East and the far East.
All these riches from a man who, at independence in 1980 did not have a tea spoon. He has built a palance to rival Buckingham right here in In the surburbs of Harare. I saw this obsenecly aamzing houser on internet when a firend showed it to me here in Vancouver.
And the people of zimabwe are starving. No jobs. noschooling for kids. No hospitals sewage spilling all over. No garbage collection. Mugabe is the least person to talk about corruption.
he is the most corrupt indiviual on this planet. with his extended family and his cronies they own all of Zimbabwe, farms, buidlings stand, banks, haulage trucks ,, What a shame.
And this thief calls him self a nationalist.
Ian Smith was a better man by far than Mgabe. he had one farm which he bought. he did not travel to singapore or malaysia for treatment. During the Smith days growing up in the township of Njube, we had food, our parents had jobs, Schools were number one, people came from all over Southern africa to learn and work in Rhodesia. Smith did nopt kill his own citizens by the thousands in the country. He did not make people dissappear. he only killed in mozambique in war.
As a black Zimbabwean I am ashamed to have such a despot, mudrerer and thief and election rigger as a compatriot.
I am a Christian but May Jesus forgive i despise this pretender and swine mgabi. I hope he pays for all he has done. If not him then his family.
Holy Moyo
Vancouver
Canada
Him and Grace have become the leaders of the corruption and greediness brigades!
why steal the elections then be clueless
Mafia boss!k
I do not think Mugabe would do anything about corruption on high level. It is easy for Mugabe at present. In ZANY-PF there are two groups involved in corruption, namely –
* the leadership cadre and top security officials – members of the JOC – who creamed off the most; and
* lower level members who creams off much lower levels of theft – really the “small fish” in the corruption tank..
The “small fish” will end up paying the price for being corrupt and some of them will be punished severely – others will lose their jobs – an others will be re-assigned to other jobs where they can loot at will – the latter being those with some political influence or connections.
Once that has been done – the Government will claim the scourge has been removed and everything is fine.
The main and most corrupt cadres will not be affected at all. The reason is the rot starts at the top – the Mugabes themselves – and the rest just steal slightly less. Any action against them is unthinkable and will rock the political boat too much. Everyone amongst them knows whom of the others stole what and how much – so no one can be called to account, for fear of the rest being exposed.
Why do you think they insist on the removal of sanctions? They want access to their foreign bank accounts where they have deposited the illegal billions they have stolen.
If the main looters repay the billions they have stolen – the Zimbabwe economy would be flourishing. But there is no chance of that as long as Mugabe is around.
Lead the fight against corruption HOW?
How can one lead the fight against corruption when they are the chief architect of corruption.
Lets put a bonga in charge of the chicken coop.