‘Name, shame corrupt Zanu PF ministers’

via ‘Name, shame corrupt Zanu PF ministers’ March 24, 2014 in NewsDay by Veneranda Langa

MDC-T Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya has dared President Robert Mugabe to name and shame corrupt Zanu PF Cabinet ministers and government officials to prove his commitment to ending the scourge.

Addressing guests at a public meeting at Sapes Trust in Harare last week, Chikwinya said: “Mugabe is to blame on the current corruption endemic as he does not have the necessary political will to deal with his colleagues who are corrupt.”

Chikwinya added: “In his speech at the Zanu PF conference in December (last year), Mugabe informed the nation of ministers who had taken bribes, but nothing happened. He said (former Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation board chairman Godwills) Masimirembwa was corrupt, but nothing happened;
and at his birthday banquet recently he (Mugabe) spoke of a minister and MP whom he said had engaged in corrupt activities, but nothing happened. This gives impunity status to the offenders.

“It becomes a problem if he does not take action on those people. If there are people who are misinforming the President then they should be fired. The Central Intelligence Organisation boss should be fired if he is misinforming Mugabe.”

Chikwinya said a Whistleblower’s Bill should be brought to Parliament soon so that anyone who wanted to expose corruption was protected.

“Zimbabwe ratified the United Nations Convention against corruption in 2007, but does not have a Whistleblower’s Act to date,” Chikwinya said.

The opposition MP said Parliament as an arm of government should be involved in the vetting of parastatal board members.

“MPs are voices of the people and therefore need to be acquainted with technical capacity to vet members of boards,” he said.