via Bulawayo24 NEWS | ‘Parastatals boards appointed on cronysim,’ says Msipa 13 February 2014
FORMER Midlands Governor, Dr Cephas Msipa, says cronyism, incompetence and greed are to blame for the rot that has permeated most State enterprises and parastatals.
Dr Msipa, who served on 18 boards in his prime when he briefly left Government between 1985 and 1995, said today’s board members and executives were driven by the love of money in their operations.
He said: “My heart bleeds when I hear about the corruption that is taking place in most boards of parastatals. In my days, we were happy to just serve on any board. We took it as an honour and responsibility to serve our country in that capacity. I sat on a number of boards and was asked to do so because of my vast experience in government and the belief of shareholders that I could add value to the deliberations and decisions of those companies. They also valued my understanding of government policy, which was important in decision making”.
Added Dr Msipa: “The problem as I see it, it appears now people are being appointed not so much on what they can contribute but in most cases, because they are friends of those who appoint them. Secondly, not much is taken into account of their political orientation or record of performance and thirdly, our people have adopted an attitude of ‘get rich quickly by any means’ with less emphasis on the need to be of service to one’s country. This then becomes the root cause of corruption and I am happy that the Zanu-PF government under the leadership of President Mugabe is committed to zero corruption.”
The Former Midlands Governor said the rot was equally prevalent in the private sector.
He, however, said the rot could be curbed once the process of appointing board members was revised.
Dr Msipa said those appointed to sit on any board, especially in parastatals, should view the appointment as a national duty.
“They should be proud to serve their country in that capacity. Competent people should be appointed. Once appointed they should try to understand how their organisation operates instead of just looking forward to getting paid their sitting allowance. In my days, the question of payment was not important.What was important was what I was asked to do,” he said.
Dr Msipa said he would approach his assignment to any board as a challenge knowing fully well that he was expected to produce results.
He said some of the boards he sat on include the Agricultural Marketing Board (AMA) that oversaw the operations of the Cold Storage Commission, Dairiboard and the Cotton Marketing Board. He also sat on the Triangle Sugar Estates board, Bikita Minerals, Cairns Foods and many others.
Dr Msipa said AMA had the responsibility of buying grain in times of drought, not government.
COMMENTS
Can Cde Msipa explain to me EXACTLY how the rot is equally prevalent in the private sector? Public institutions are very different from private businesses, where accountability and transparency are mandatory because they are PUBLIC institutions. How can there be rot in Private institutions, where the only accountability is to the shareholders? This is precisely why this country is dead, because we have morons who think they know what they are talking about, or say these things to divert the attention from their looting sprees…
Cde. Gora many of the private companies are owned by the very looters who pretend to be business executives. A good example is seen by the number of banks that have been liquidated or on the brink of this happening. Many others bought over blue chip companies which they ran into the ground while personally enriching themselves. I worked for one for seven years that had been operating for nearly 50 years but collapsed less than 5 years after being bought over.
Msipa who are you fooling. YOU sellout.
Cde Msipa, when exactly did we ever have parastatal boards appointed on merit? Before 1980 perhaps?
I am happy that the ZANU pf government under the leadership of president Robert Mugabe is committed to zero corruption. Well said by our former Midlands governer. Mr Musipa which Zimbabwe are you talking about. Is it from Mars. If you are talking of the Zimbabwe of southern Africa ruined by Mugabe wekwavZvimba you are lying with a straight face. Please if you have nothing to say Mr former governed why can’t you just shut up and have funny with your brood of vazukuru enjoying what you looted during your days in the office. Maybe you are irked by the fact that your loot was pea nuts compared to Dube and company’s latest
Mr Msipa you disappoint me because I expected a speech with constructive real solutions not to support what cannot be defended with carefully worded sentences.I can only say the current events have taken you by surprise and total disbelief.
If there was zero tolerance in corruption all these thieves would have been at least under detention to ensure that they do not leave the country before they answer for their crimes.
Oh give us a break Dr!!! how many stipends are you still receiving every month from white business to provide them with some sort of political protection???
Ah you former pfzapu, it Zane’s culture!
Come on Msipa, “Robert committed to zero corruption.” Mugabe bought the loyalty and allegiance from the generals by giving them those fat cheques, why did they say they will never salute Tswangirai should he win elections?They knew fully well that would never happen, their machinery is well oiled right from the top. Nothing is going to happen to any of those parastatal bosses or army chefs because those salaries were approved by Mugabe himself. Why all this silence from him. Zimbos let us not be gullible, we have had enough, all the ministers, army chefs, police chefs, the president himself have to resign, they have failed us, our children and the future of our very rich country.
sokwanele please.
when they fail they just find the unfortunate yet they exactly know the blunders.which ministry do have the right minster except polce education and defends
Msipa has touched a raw nerve.Why are you people attacking him like this.they say truth hurts.Me thinks all of you that commented are the culprits that he is talking about.
I don’t understand how you enjoy your millions per month when the povo is suffering like this.Worse still when you drive through pot holed roads, leave in crumbling infrastructure. What’s there to enjoy when everyday you carry buckets and buckets of water to your upstairs bathroom because you cant use your geyser any more, and carry buckets to your upstairs toilet because there is no water and you now rely on manual flushing system.you call that life. Give us a break.Don’t you long for that Zim were we used to take things for granted.its nice to enjoy money when everyone around you is enjoying a decent living.
Msipa has touched a raw nerve.Why are you people attacking him like this.they say truth hurts.Me thinks all of you that commented are the culprits that he is talking about.
I don’t understand how you enjoy your millions per month when the povo is suffering like this.Worse still when you drive through pot holed roads, leave in crumbling infrastructure. What’s there to enjoy when everyday you carry buckets and buckets of water to your upstairs bathroom because you cant use your geyser any more, and carry buckets to your upstairs toilet because there is no water and you now rely on manual flushing system.you call that life. Give us a break.Don’t you long for that Zim were we used to take things for granted.its nice to enjoy money when everyone around you is enjoying a decent living. Tivhirei pano, nxa!!!!1
Msipa has touched a raw nerve, why are you people attacking him like this.The guilty are always afraid.What i don’t understand is how do such people enjoy the stolen millions when the povo is suffering like this, when you drive your SUV’s in pot holed roads, and leave and work in crumbling infrastructure, when you carry buckets after bucket of water to your upstairs bathroom or toilet because there is no water and because your geyser no longer works and you now rely on manual toilet system. What’s there to enjoy when you cant invite your foreign friends because the once beautiful zim now looks like mbare musika.I was shocked the other day driving from bulawayo airport to the city centre to see the devastation there, God, the once beautiful and ever green suburbs can now be compared to mbare musika. The once beautiful city centre is like downtown of an old city. Harare city centre now looks like mbare everywhere. Meikles stores now sale cheap chinese outfits that are sold in flea markets in Jozi.Is this life.No way.we want our old zim back.
Dr. Msipa the fact that you saved 18 boards is in itself corruption. How could you have such monopoly of knowledge that allowed you to be appointed to so many boards ahead of others and who appointed you? Most of the parastatals you sarved as board member are on their nees now and what legarcy is that? Can you proudly tell us which parastatal you served as a board member is performing well today? Hauna mwana akamboenda kujeri here?
Dr Msipa gave a constructive advice. Chizivano chanyanya mumaBoards umu. Cronies are birds of a feather and so flock together. The virus in one crony is the virus in the other crony and so it multiplies faster. Board members must be people experienced in the business of the Board they stand for. The widespread corruption in parastatals is the migration of bad traits from one crony to another or from baba to mwana, sekuru to muzukuru. I personally have decades of experience in management of parastatals but I am side stepped due cronyism. Corruption will not decrease for as long cronyism is the yard stick.
As i see it ZPF have exhausted the State enterprises and parastatals through looting and now want to move into the Private sector in the disguise of indigenization. What muppets!!!
Dog eat dog!