Don’t misappropriate agric inputs: Madiro

Source: Don’t misappropriate agric inputs: Madiro | The Herald October 16, 2018

Deputy Minister Madiro

Nyore Madzianike Manicaland Bureau
HOME Affairs Deputy Minister and Mutare North lawmaker Mike Madiro has warned Government officials and members of the public against misappropriating farming inputs, saying the law would take its course.

Deputy Minister Madiro said he had received a number of complaints against people who had been mandated to distribute inputs, but were reportedly engaging in corrupt activities.

He said those involved should stop such tendencies and give inputs to deserving people. Deputy Minister Madiro said this on Friday at Zvavanhu Secondary School in his constituency during victory celebrations organised for him by Zanu-PF supporters.

“It is quite disheartening to note that there are some Government officials who are conniving with some unscrupulous individuals during the distribution of inputs. We want equitable distribution of inputs, especially those under the Presidential Inputs Scheme. I am told there are people from Government who are involved in corrupt activities during distribution of inputs. Our President is saying no to corruption,” he said.

Deputy Minister Madiro urged people to work closely with police whenever they suspected that underhand dealings were taking place. He urged villagers to form committees that would alert police whenever they suspected that an offence had been committed.

“I had a meeting with officials from GMB and we agreed on certain things.

“It appears as if connivance is systematic and it came out that the system is well knit. We are alive to the fact that some Government officials are conniving with corrupt individuals. It is surprising that those who are in charge of input distribution are topping the list of those being fingered. Please let us do things in a transparent manner so that thieves are exposed,” he said.

Deputy Minister  Madiro said corruption started during the listing of households meant to benefit from schemes in which deserving beneficiaries were frozen out.

He said councillors should take an active role in making sure that all villagers benefited.

Deputy Minister  Madiro also handed over a borehole to Ward 12 villagers and promised to repair more than a dozen others, which he said had not been working for years.

“In the wake of cholera outbreak, we would like to make sure that everyone gets clean water. It is one of the Government’s targets to make sure that every citizen accesses clean water. This is one of the boreholes out of 25 in this ward that we are going to repair. There are 12 others which are not functioning,” he said.

Manicaland youths chairman Cde Tawanda Mukodza and provincial vice chairperson Cde Dorothy Mabika also attended the function.