via Salarygate: Parliament’s failing oversight – DailyNews Live by Chengetai Zvauya 21 FEBRUARY 2014
Security chiefs have queried why legislators were slow in detecting widespread corruption that has been exposed in State enterprises by the media.
Senior officials from air force, police, army, prisons and central intelligence organisation drawn from the National Defence College yesterday toured Parliament on a familiarisation exercise, and took the opportunity to question parliamentarians on the suppurating scandal.
The team was led by brigadier-general Thando Madzvamuse.
Shadreck Mubaiwa, a police senior assistant commissioner, demanded answers on the salarygate scandal. “We are reading several reports of malpractices by chief executive officers in parastatals as bosses are earning high salaries.
“What role does the government ministers, who are legislators, play in these matters?” asked Mubaiwa.
“Are they not accountable to parliamentary portfolio committees?
“Why were legislators failing to carry out their oversight role? Who was also appointing these board members who are corrupt?”
Jacob Mudenda, speaker of the National Assembly, admitted legislators took their eyes off the ball.
“We were sleeping on duty as MPs while corruption was happening in the parastatals,” Mudenda admitted.
“We should have acted swiftly when the parastatals presented their annual reports to parliament and we should have picked it up. Our portfolio committees should have summoned heads of parastatals to their committees, and questioned them.”
He said Parliament failed to detect corruption in the parastatals early, because their annual reports did not contain salary schedules of their heads.
Mudenda said the country’s laws must prescribe that salaries of government ministers, senior civil servants, heads of parastatals and permanent secretaries be published.
“I was involved in the drafting of the new constitution and we had captured the setting up of a remuneration commission, like what happens in South Africa, where senior civil servants’ salaries are made public,” Mudenda said.
“However, when the draft was taken to the management committee, that chapter was dropped. So we went to the referendum without that chapter.”
He blamed ministers for appointing their cronies to parastatal boards.
“The vacancy in the board members in parastatals are never made public, so we have ministers appointing people known to them with some being their school mates,” Mudenda said.
“This has contributed to all the corruption in the parastatals. However, as parliament, we are no longer going to remain inactive as we have woken up and are going to play our oversight role effectively, to end corruption.”
COMMENTS
Watch out the junta is on the move. Pretentious crooks. They want to portray themselves as sqeeky clean . who has been looting Chiyadzwa and at road blocks.?
Kkkk talk of the pot calling the kettle black or is it the other way round.well they say set a thief to catch a thief.it remains to be seen if anything wil come out of this sham of an “invstigation”
The Vacancy in the board members in Parastatals are never made public, so we have Ministers appointing people known to them with some being their school mates!!! no wonder Bitti said they are Clueless. Cry our Beloved country
Clueless for sure. God help us – i sometimes think he says you have all u need, use wisely. Wish these zanu pf were like the lazy one wo hid his single talent and returned it without loss or gain so it can be given to the one with 5 and zimbabwe can rise again. This #4 is not mentioned in the bible story but he got his talent and wasted it owing so much upon return and call to accountability. What exactly does Zimbabwe lack:
1. a country full of peace loving folks
2. minerals
3. had the British make it look like a mini version of the UK with all kinds of infrastructure that we could have just built on since 1980
4. no war and no destruction like in many other troubled nations
5. a well educated population
6. hard working people
7. great agricultural land we have proof we could feed all of Africa
8. Jobs???? the UN had offices in Harare – could recruit from Harare and send Zimbos anywhere with food and a heart and everything else to make a difference in other people
and so many blessings
but poor governance.
Sad.
Clueless for sure. God help us – i sometimes think he says you have all u need, use wisely. Wish these zanu pf were like the lazy one wo hid his single talent and returned it without loss or gain so it can be given to the one with 5 and zimbabwe can rise again. This #4 is not mentioned in the bible story but he got his talent and wasted it owing so much upon return and call to accountability. What exactly does Zimbabwe lack:
1. a country full of peace loving folks
2. minerals
3. had the British make it look like a mini version of the UK with all kinds of infrastructure that we could have just built on since 1980
4. no war and no destruction like in many other troubled nations
5. a well educated population
6. hard working people
7. great agricultural land we have proof we could feed all of Africa
8. Jobs???? the UN had offices in Harare – could recruit from Harare and send Zimbos anywhere with food and a heart and everything else to make a difference in other people
and so many blessings
but poor governance.
Sad.
WHAT MPs! THEY ARE THERE FOR THE ALLOWANCES ONLY! HOPELESS AND CLUELESS!