Zanu PF must stop parastatals’ rot

via Zanu PF must stop parastatals’ rot January 8, 2015

Overbearing and mindless commitment to the ruling Zanu PF is making governance in the country’s over 78 parastatals both dysfunctional and awful.

This comes as triumphant Zanu PF politicians and newly-appointed ministers are set to appoint their own cronies in the various boards of State entities.

And those boards and chief executives that were appointed by the fired ministers will lose their positions regardless of their competencies.

It’s either one is a crony of the appointing minister or not; and if the minister is fired one is sure to lose their position as well. This is regardless of the fact that the entity may be making a profit or not.

Hence, current developments taking place at State enterprises are worrisome given that Cabinet ministers have actually fired or suspended management and appointed the boards to run the day-to-day operations against corporate governance policies.

It is quite clear that the decisions that have been made at the State enterprises cannot be divorced from the Zanu PF factional fights.

The move has seen the newly-appointed boards running operations, yet they are supposed to provide an oversight role. One wonders how a Cabinet minister can appoint a board to run the affairs of Zinara and not provide oversight. Again why a minister can allow the board to fire Allied Timbers management without completing due process boggles the mind. But it comes to one thing — duplicity by the Zanu PF politicians.

Zimbabweans abhor Zanu PF factionalism playing at these parastatals to the detriment of the poor workers. There is no doubt that the suspensions are being made to spite those that appointed them. It is unfortunate that the boards are selected on partisan lines and not their competence.

We believe that any businesses which pursue a goal other than making money are unwitting puppets of the political forces that have been undermining the basis of our free society. They (executives) are guilty of analytical looseness and lack of rigor. They have even turned themselves into “unelected government officials” who are illegally taxing employers and customers.

These shenanigans must stop. It is hoped, that factionalism will not have a stranglehold in State enterprises that are supposed to play a key role in the government economic turnaround programme.

It is important to ensure that political persuasions will not play a part in the way the economy is run. It goes without saying that the Zanu PF politicians are bastardising the economy at the expense of the country.

It is dangerous to allow personal vendettas to stand in the way of business and using the economy to settle cheap political scores against each other. Unfortunately, there are several formerly successful government firms that have gone to the dogs after serious political muddling.

It is important to note that the exotic timber industry was one of the mainstream industries, not only in the Eastern Highlands, but countrywide. The timber industry used to contribute considerably to Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product and employing more than 10 000 people and over 40 000 people in the downstream industries.

It would be unfortunate if politics is allowed to continue to hold sway across all sectors whose potential contribution to the growth of the economy cannot be over-estimated.

Whatever success that the government companies will score will be determined by good, sound corporate governance.Overbearing and mindless commitment to the ruling Zanu PF is making governance in the country’s over 78 parastatals both dysfunctional and awful.

This comes as triumphant Zanu PF politicians and newly-appointed ministers are set to appoint their own cronies in the various boards of State entities.

And those boards and chief executives that were appointed by the fired ministers will lose their positions regardless of their competencies.

It’s either one is a crony of the appointing minister or not; and if the minister is fired one is sure to lose their position as well. This is regardless of the fact that the entity may be making a profit or not.

Hence, current developments taking place at State enterprises are worrisome given that Cabinet ministers have actually fired or suspended management and appointed the boards to run the day-to-day operations against corporate governance policies.

It is quite clear that the decisions that have been made at the State enterprises cannot be divorced from the Zanu PF factional fights.

The move has seen the newly-appointed boards running operations, yet they are supposed to provide an oversight role. One wonders how a Cabinet minister can appoint a board to run the affairs of Zinara and not provide oversight. Again why a minister can allow the board to fire Allied Timbers management without completing due process boggles the mind. But it comes to one thing — duplicity by the Zanu PF politicians.

Zimbabweans abhor Zanu PF factionalism playing at these parastatals to the detriment of the poor workers. There is no doubt that the suspensions are being made to spite those that appointed them. It is unfortunate that the boards are selected on partisan lines and not their competence.

We believe that any businesses which pursue a goal other than making money are unwitting puppets of the political forces that have been undermining the basis of our free society. They (executives) are guilty of analytical looseness and lack of rigor. They have even turned themselves into “unelected government officials” who are illegally taxing employers and customers.

These shenanigans must stop. It is hoped, that factionalism will not have a stranglehold in State enterprises that are supposed to play a key role in the government economic turnaround programme.

It is important to ensure that political persuasions will not play a part in the way the economy is run. It goes without saying that the Zanu PF politicians are bastardising the economy at the expense of the country.

It is dangerous to allow personal vendettas to stand in the way of business and using the economy to settle cheap political scores against each other. Unfortunately, there are several formerly successful government firms that have gone to the dogs after serious political muddling.

It is important to note that the exotic timber industry was one of the mainstream industries, not only in the Eastern Highlands, but countrywide. The timber industry used to contribute considerably to Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product and employing more than 10 000 people and over 40 000 people in the downstream industries.

It would be unfortunate if politics is allowed to continue to hold sway across all sectors whose potential contribution to the growth of the economy cannot be over-estimated.

Whatever success that the government companies will score will be determined by good, sound corporate governance.