Youths mustn’t tire in corruption fight: President

Source: Youths mustn’t tire in corruption fight: President | The Herald 01 NOV, 2019

In this picture collage, President Mnangagwa addresses the Zanu-PF Youth Assembly at the party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday.—Pictures: Innocent Makawa

Farirai Machivenyika and Wallace Ruzvidzo

The Zanu-PF Youth League must not tire in the fight against corruption as the party and Government intensify efforts to end the scourge.

President Mnangagwa emphasised the need to stay on course in the fight against graft when he addressed delegates attending the second Zanu-PF Youth League National Assembly Meeting at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday.

“The party and Government has increased its tempo to fighting corruption. I appointed a nine-member commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations of corruption you levelled against ordinary citizens, senior Zanu-PF members and Government officials.

“You have said some of you will be taken to court, but you would want to be taken as a group. We as a party, because these allegations were made in the party, have set up, in the party, an investigations committee to investigate the allegations. Those who have ears have heard.

“The fight against corruption is everyone’s responsibility. Do not tire in your fight for this noble cause,” President Mnangagwa said.

Early this year, the Youth League named a number of party and Government officials and businessmen it suspected of engaging in corrupt activities prompting, the Politburo to set up the investigations committee.

Earlier, Zanu-PF secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Pupurai Togarepi had vowed that the league would continue exposing corruption.

In an apparent reference to the party’s Secretary for Administration Cde Obert Mpofu, who has sued Youth League deputy secretary Cde Lewis Matutu for $10 million in a defamation case, Cde Togarepi said people should sue the entire league.

“If those people we named decide to sue they should not sue individuals because that was a collective decision we made to name the people. But there was no way we could all read out the Press statement.

“We will, however, continue exposing corruption,” Cde Togarepi said.

Cde Togarepi also warned ministers and MPs that were snubbing party activities.

“We now have Government officials who are now sabotaging the party and do not want to engage in party events since they took up Government posts. Instead they prefer to propagate their own individual agendas and line their pockets.

“They do not want to attend party programmes that promote the President’s vision. They always give excuses forgetting that it is the party that led to them getting appointed into those Government offices.

“These are some of the people who are working against the vision of the President and would want to see Vision 2030 fail to materialise. So let me warn them that if they don’t change their behaviour they will be recalled from their leadership positions,” said Cde Togarepi.

Cde Togarepi commended President Mnangagwa for appointing a number of youths into Cabinet.

“For the past two days we have been meeting and discussing the socio-economic issues affecting us as youths. We would like to thank President Mnangagwa for appointing a large number of youths into Cabinet, a development that has never happened before,” he said.

President Mnangagwa responded by hinting that he could appoint more youths into Cabinet soon.

“We need more and more of you. I have not been disappointed by the youths in Government and I will be adding more very soon,” he said.