via Outrage over ‘open mouth shut’ mind VP NewZimbabwe 10/02/2014
MEDIA activists and ordinary Zimbabweans have expressed outrage over Acting President Joyce Mujuru’s weekend remarks attacking newspaper revelations about the extensive pay scandal dogging the country’s loss making state enterprises.
Now referred to as “Salarygate”, the salary scandal was ignited by the dismissal of Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation (ZBC) CEO Happison Muchechetere and has since gathered a head of steam with allegations that most of the country’s 78 State enterprises as well as the 92 local authorities were affected.
Outed after Muchechetere was the Cuthbert Dube-led executive at the Public Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) which allegedly shared $1 million among eight individuals every month when the quasi-government organisation was struggling to honour its financial obligations.
But while the nation waited with bated breath to see how the country’s rulers respond to the alarming haemorrhage on State coffers, Vice President Mujuru chose to turn her ammunition on the media, insisting they were being used by Zanu PF “saboteurs” to ruin the party and its government.
Her comments elicited strong resentment from media players who accused the country’s most powerful woman politician of attempting to gag the press.
“It would always be unacceptable for anybody, whether in high or low office, to try to gag the media from reporting on any issue especially on corruption, corruption of which we know has become such a widespread malignance in Zimbabwe,” said Majoni.
“The role of the media is to do an oversight over government, executive, judiciary as well as society and inform the same society.”
“It’s is a travesty of justice on the part of VP Mujuru to call for a halt in reporting about the looting of state resources at government entities,” he said.
“Our role as the media is to expose corruption. So we will be failing the nation if we take Mujuru’s advice. We need to continue exposing the rot in government, but by trying to force the media to turn a blind eye on corruption, she is being irresponsible.”
Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum secretary general and veteran journalistBarnabas Thondhlana said Mujuru’s comments were informed by factional wars within Zanu PF, insisting the media must not be dragged into her party’s internal squabbles.
“The media’s role is to be the watchdog of society. The media reports without fear or favour and brings to the public sphere things which might be hidden,” he said.
“It is not for the media to bother about factions in political parties, for that is not our mandate. We report news as it happens for the public good. We make public that which government quasi-government bodies and the private sector wish to keep hidden.
“Where public funds are concerned, it is the duty of the media to enquire how those funds are being utilised. The public expects to be informed about how their hard-earned dollars are being spent.”
Journalist Itai Dzamari said it was very unfortunate a whole country has been dragged into an argument on Mujuru’s comments and lost sight of the bigger picture where citizens must be demanding the prosecution of the looters.
“The most important question becomes, ‘will this develop to a point where corrective action would be taken?’. That is the major concern to the nation. We have had plenty such stories that have gone away as entertainment but with no action being taken.”
Former Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) president Pride Mkono also condemned Mujuru.
“Surely, how can anyone in their normal senses castigate the public exposure of the rot in our public enterprises unless that person is complicit and has interests? The Vice President must think again.”
COMMENTS
Corruption is spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement. Government, or ‘political’, corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain Mrs MUJURU.
This woman is defending a party position, in line with party protocol. The whole so-called Zanu PF should be held to account. Ultimately, this boils to one painful decision. Standing up and fight them. How we conduct ourselves in this fight, is another matter? But removal of Zanu PF is necessary by all means.
Since you are giving her a lesson on corruption, maybe she can hear this one if she has ears.An economy or economic system consists of the production, distribution or trade, and consumption of limited goods and services by different agents in a given geographical location. The economic agents can be individuals, businesses, organizations, or governments. Transactions occur when two parties agree to the value or price of the transacted good or service, commonly expressed in a certain currency.
In the past, economic activity was theorized to be bounded by natural resources, labor, and capital. This view ignores the value of technology (automation, accelerator of process, reduction of cost functions), and creativity (new products, services, processes, new markets, expands markets, diversification of markets, niche markets, increases revenue functions), especially that which produces intellectual property.
A given economy is the result of a set of processes that involves its culture, values, education, technological evolution, history, social organization, political structure and legal systems, as well as its geography, natural resource endowment, and ecology, as main factors. These factors give context, content, and set the conditions and parameters in which an economy functions.
A market-based economy is where goods and services are produced without obstruction or interference, and exchanged according to demand and supply between participants (economic agents) by barter or a medium of exchange with a credit or debit value accepted within the network, such as a unit of currency and at some free market or market clearing price. Capital and labor can move freely to any area of emerging shortage, signaled by rising price, and thus dynamically and automatically relieve any such threat. Market based economies require transparency on information, such as true prices, to work, and may include various kinds of immaterial production, such as affective labor that describes work carried out that is intended to produce or modify emotional experiences in people, but does not have a tangible, physical product as a result.
A command-based economy is where a central political agent commands what is produced and how it is sold and distributed. Shortages are common problems with a command-based economy, as there is no mechanism to manage the information (prices) about the systems natural supply and demand dynamics.
Nice economic primer Pilgrim. Correct information for everyone.
Did you write it yourself or is copied from somewhere?
How this information would be useful to Mujuru is a mystery. It is so far above her level of understanding that it might as well be written in Latin. This woman does not have the intellect to be a floor sweeper and she is too ugly to be a hooker.
She is simply not cut out for high office, like her boss.
Even her boss is equally stupid. This corruption is not new in our country. Since independence we have seen so many corruption cimmissions formed by by Mugabe himself. Can you tell me of any high profile official who was jailed or who is in jail for their nefarious deeds. They are cut from the same cloth but the difference here is the gender
I always believed the reason Joyce never spoke was because she has nothing intelligent to say now she has opened her large mouth and removed all doubt. She is only in that position of power because she got lucky and she tows the unseen line drawn by Robert. I liked Oppah and still think she is more intelligent than this Joyce. Ava mai ava zvangove zvekugara mu office kuzeza kuenda kumusha kunorima mabura full time
Thats where we go wrong . No complaining to scared to act on whats right and we trust anyone to do our jobs. We are conned and con others. All principles have been thrown out and this has been for 34years. Zimbabweans we have let ourselves down and now we must sit down and pray and ask for deliverance. Oh I forgot that would be eternity.
JT I most definitely copied it from somewhere. Some times we have to go back and hear what those that came before us said. They laid the ground work for a better world. I am passing on their wisdom LEST WE FORGET.
John Thomas I choose to use two names because I identify with the names I use. We are at the moment on a Pilgrimage. We have to examine what happened in RWANDA HENCE THE NAME I am not alone and I am sure neither are you. We just do what we do and hear what others have to say. I can assure you there some close to Zanu that are not Zanu.