PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday said he will not defend senior government and Zanu PF officials implicated in corrupt deals or abuse of public funds, vowing to let them face the full wrath of the law, provided there is sufficient evidence to support the allegations.
Source: Mugabe nails corrupt ministers – NewsDay Zimbabwe October 28, 2016
BY XOLISANI NCUBE/RICHARD CHIDZA
Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters at the commissioning of Murongwe Primary School, built by the Air Force of Zimbabwe in Mt Darwin, Mashonaland Central province, Mugabe said all government and ruling party officials accused of corruption should have their day in court.
“No one who breaches the law would be protected and those accused would be left to face the music. It is not good for one accused of improper conduct to be protected,” he said.
The 92-year-old leader, however, said he would not be pushed to act because of media reports.
“We don’t want people to be accused of wrongdoing when they have not done so. We want people to be taken to court when there is a proper investigation and enough evidence. We want our people to defend themselves before the courts of law. If they have lawyers, let their lawyers defend them in the court,” he said.
“We don’t want our members to listen to the media and say we have read this in newspapers, so this one and that one must be arrested, or this one and that must be fired from the party. No, we don’t do that. We have our courts and platforms where we discuss these issues and if anyone is convicted, they must go to jail.
“If someone abused money, it must be clearly exposed how the money was abused. What you read in newspapers is only media speculation.”
This came as war veterans yesterday piled pressure on the Zanu PF leader to wash his hands of Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo’s alleged $400 000 Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) scandal and let the Tsholotsho North MP carry his cross to the court.
Moyo and his deputy, Godfrey Gandawa, are being probed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission for allegedly abusing Zimdef finances to ostensibly fund Zanu PF activities and various developmental projects in their respective constituencies.
The duo has denied the allegations, claiming the charges were being raised for political expediency by their rivals in the ruling party.
Mugabe added Zanu PF was united, dismissing reports of the alleged factional fights as a creation of the media.
“These days, there are so many things being said about the party. Many people are saying the party is finished. Let me tell you: The party is united,” he said.
“Yes, they might be misunderstandings here and there. It is normal like in any other family. People are saying we are fighting and that we are finished, are we sorting that out?
“Those who would have erred in the party, we tell them they are wrong and we solve the problem.”
Mugabe also lashed out at the Zanu PF leadership in Mashonaland Central province for allowing a situation to go on at Murongwe Primary School, where pupils were still taking their lessons under trees, 36 years after independence.
“To be honest with you, from the bottom of my heart, I am very disappointed by what has been happening here. My government never anticipated that 36 years after independence we could be constructing primary schools. Why? Why? Why? I thought we should be focusing on building secondary schools and other institutions here, why a primary school?
“When we gained independence we prioritised basic education and I thought the issue of primary schools has been sorted out. I am really disappointed by our leadership.”
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association chairman, Christopher Mutsvangwa, told NewsDay yesterday that Mugabe’s alleged tacit support for Moyo posed a risk to his continued stay in power.
“Jonathan Moyo is nestling in his own version of the medieval Divine Order of King Mugabe. Never before has a constitutional republic been so blatantly challenged,” he said.
“That is precisely why the war veterans feel acutely incensed. He (Moyo) has awoken the great monster.
“All their defence is we are Robin Hoods working on a self-serving agenda for Mugabe the appointer-in-chief. The structures and constraints of a constitutional democracy stop at the door of the Executive. To Moyo and his cohorts, ‘The State is Mugabe’, to paraphrase King Louis at the start of the French Revolution.”
Asked if he thought Mugabe was protecting Moyo, Mutsvangwa retorted: “Moyo is in fact asserting that. The onus is now on HE (His Excellency) to refute that. Also (Police Commisioner-General Augustine) Chihuri is an Executive appointee.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Economic Empowerment, chaired by Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena, is also pushing for the arrest of Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere on allegations of failing to account for the $50 million allegedly pledged by diamond firms in Marange to fund the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trust.
The issue caused a storm in Parliament on Tuesday, as legislators, from across the political divide, accused Acting Speaker Mabel Chinomona of seeking to block presentation of the report on the missing funds.
COMMENTS
Where in his utterances at this bussed mob did he pin-point his ministers as being corrupt, he actually exonerated them by demanding further investigations more farther than Auditor- General’s forensic evidence!!!
So, when will grandpa and his wife get their day in court? After all, $15billion is missing! And the cost of all those trips to Singapore and Dubai for personal reasons? It never ends.
What a fool this old man is.
He says something to day and then another thing tomorrow. But he fools no one now. It is all a cunning plan to slow down anyone having a genuine close look at him and his cronies.
Was it not him that defended Moyo day and night only a few days ago?
He also knows that when his cronies begin to fall they will spill the beans, and the evidence will come out clear as to how and why they have been able to steal so successfully for all those many years.
It was because they were being protected by him, so that they can turn their backs when he and his relatives were burying their greedy faces in the ZANU PF’s feeding trough.
There will be so much investigative work to be done when Zimbabwe is free again. But the worry is that we no longer have any honest policemen or detectives left. These guys have also been far too busy burying their own greedy faces in the same trough.
God save Zimbabwe…
“… When we gained independence we prioritised basic education and I thought the issue of primary schools has been sorted out. I am really disappointed by our leadership.” said Mugabe.
Pathetic , hogwash, etc! Look; the brain-dead fellow is talking of “…. our leadership” . Clearly he cant remember, let alone understand, that he is still the head of the so-called leadership. In his old & childish mind, there is “some other leadership” out there which is busy betraying everybody including himself & his family; of which he is no t part & parcel. nxaaaaaa!
Anyway, it’s very normal with “old age” – not so new new anyway. However, what’s new is that we have multitudes of heartless zanu pf hoodlums rejoicing in torturing the now hapless old hyena, pushing him to remain put as place-holder at his on cost – including his craft & greed wife, gullible & spoilt children, & newly found & questionable sons–in-law. nxaaaa!
On both counts Mr President, if you have no clue what goes on in the country , that you say you know nothing about the corruption or the rot going on around you, then you have no business being President and on the other hand if you have been condoning it, which seems the more likely scenario, then you also have no right being President. What is the bet that nothing will happen to Kasukawere or Moyo or any of the corrupt ministers. I hope they know that just like Ghukurahandi that hasn’t gone away, none of these facts will go away either. Oh by the way, when David Coltart was Minister of Education we started to see huge strides being taken in development in rural and urban education as he tried to sort out the mess that it had already become. Pity he isn’t there still.
Corruption is rampant every where in Zimbabwe. I have learned with anger that donor funds meant for ex Telone employees that where dismissed in very unclear circumstances are being abused for personal benefit by Secretary General of CASWUZ workers union representing the workers for both telone and Zimpost . . this is disgusting as most of dismissed workers went home with nothing some died from lack of medication .those still surviving are suffering yet the leadership that instigated the industrial action are squandering the donated funds .. I urge an urgent investigation in this matter .