via Time govt dealt with corruption – DailyNews Live 2 APRIL 2014
Government fears that millions of dollars supposed to be remitted to Treasury could have been lost when officials it seconded to represent its interests in diamond mining companies connived to under-declare proceeds, serve as a pointer to the level of official graft that has hobbled the troubled nation’s march towards better times.
Other countries endowed with fewer resources than Zimbabwe have made good use of their natural resources to uplift the quality of life for the majority of their people. Our God-appropriated resources should therefore imbue us with a deep sense of pride and gratitude.
But the treacherous attitude displayed by government proxies as revealed by Mines minister, Walter Chidhakwa verges on a perverse form of national pride as has been the case with an elite clique seconded to superintend over parastatals and other quasi-governmental organisations that have abused their positions.
Chidhakwa’s remark is a frank admission that dishonesty has been allowed to fester to the detriment of enhanced resource husbandry to improve national economic health.
When coupled with calls by the Prosecutor General that government should by now have capacitated institutions mandated to fight corruption while creating an enabling legal framework if the country is to win the fight against the scourge that has become endemic, one begins to appreciate the magnitude of the problem.
In the context of past experiences in the mining sector it would be naive for government to even consider a suggestion by senior assistant commissioner Silence Pondo that if police arrest an illegal gold dealer they be allowed to retain a certain percentage of the recovered gold.
Few believe staffers in the precious mineral units are as clean as a whistle in a force where financial probity may not be widespread. The suggestion appears to fall in the same category with government proxies that have connived to under-declare proceeds to Treasury which the Mines ministry is seeking to curb.
Moreover, it would set a bad precedent when every arm of government clamours for similar privileges.
These are suggestions in pursuit of competitive prestige at a time government arms should learn to live within their means and make do with whatever resources are available. All national efforts to put Zimbabwe on the right path to prosperity will obviously come to nought unless government girds its loins and institutes radical changes in the manner it conducts its business; adopts a robust method of resource husbandry and funnels its energies towards closing every loophole that the wayward among its officials might seek to exploit.
As the Prosecutor General Johannes Tomana bluntly puts it: “Until government is able to get on top of corruption, we are not going anywhere.”
COMMENTS
Government will not “deal” with their own creation.
Corruption is fundamental to ZANU/PF’s very existence!
Tomana is corruption. If he has been converted to fighting corruption he should resign so that a real prosecutor can do his job.
Forget writing articles like this. Government will NEVER deal with corruption. They ARE corruption. When is Zimbabwe going to wake up? If there was one decent shred of honour in ZPF they would have stepped down and resigned. There is no shame. there is no shame for the terrible sin of the 1980’s genocide, no shred of shame for the violent and destructive land take overs, no shame for the Murambatsvina, or the horrific violence of 2008 and all the other tragedies that is ZPF. They do not care about a suffering people nor the fact that millions have been forced to flee their motherland. They do not care about the blood in our soil or the billions that have shamelessly been plundered. They do NOT care. It is almost as though they have crossed the rubicon with their sin and their hearts are so hard that they now live in the devils domain. Just now it will be too late to repent and there will be no turning back. What are the Christians in ZPF doing? they are playing with their eternal lives. Be warned. Already they seek to rig the 2018 elections. Read the daily news today. May the lord’s justice and judgment fall on this evil in Zimbabwe. Zvakwana!
This whole anti-corruption drive is 1. A useful replacement for the now exhausted mantra of “sanctions.”
2. A useful diversion from and repository for public anger over the rigged elections. 3, a useful excuse for incompetent governance and poor economic policies.
These uses all serve ZANU OF.
As has been pointed out by several voices, its use to the country will be gauged by the number and extent of prosecutions.
Went are being had, as they say.
Guys why is everyone acting like corruption started yesterday when most of us know that the scourge started tearing down our economy and social fabric way back in the ’80s?From then on it was free for all, willogate,rhino horns in Mozambique,war victims compensation,DRC debacle.I could go on forever.The only thing that has been in constant in all of this is the captain and his crew or should I say captain sparrow and his band of pirates!So as long as these maggots are still running the show, all of this will remain what it is-just talk no action.There is no political will at all.These are all diversionary tricks to make sure we take off our eyes off the ball.Remember this is also the proverbial killing two birds with one stone,one ZANU Pf faction is being annihilated and the gullible public is being taken for a wild goose chase.
True Manyongori. We hope they self destruct