via Corruption: Chinamasa says govt clueless 24/09/2014
FINANCE Minister Patrick Chinamasa has made startling claims that government was too incompetent to tackle rampant corruption, insisting the crime was even too sophisticated for the country’s law enforcers to detect.
Chinamasa was addressing diplomats, MPs and government officials who attended Tuesday’s interactive breakfast meeting between industrialists and the IMF representative to Zimbabwe, Demenico Fanezzi.
The Zanu PF-led government’s commitment to fighting graft has been questioned after a campaign to expose greedy and corrupt public enterprise bosses resulted in a couple of sackings but no arrests.
The exercise soon lost steam after Vice President Joice Mujuru condemned it, claiming it was part of a campaign by treacherous individuals who had infiltrated Zanu PF and were trying to destroy the party from within.
In his opening address at Tuesday’s breakfast meeting, the treasury chief wailed about the multi-lateral institution being overly biased against Zimbabwe through withholding of crucial balance of payment support to the troubled country, but made little mention of corruption, which critics say continuously undermines economic recovery.
Challenged during a plenary session to make a solid commitment outside the usual rhetoric by the authorities on stamping out corruption, Chinamasa chose to misfire.
“Corruption is very difficult,” he said, “I always explain it this way, the briber and the bribed have benefited; they will not readily come forward to report themselves to the police. They will not.
“Unless the deal goes wrong one of them may go to the police to spill the beans but only then after he has got guarantee that he will not be prosecuted.
“The point l am making is that corruption is a very difficult crime to investigate and to effect arrest and, this is my suspicion, some of the people who will come to my office complaining about corruption are the very people who are corrupt so they just hide their corruption under noises about fighting corruption.”
According to the 2013 Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Zimbabwe was ranked number 157 out of 177 countries covered by the survey.
But the former Justice Minister said going straight after corrupt individuals would not make much of an impact and suggested introducing “transparency” within the country’s systems to deter the corrupt.
“It doesn’t help of course because you really want to see someone arrested but when you ask ‘is there is anyone to come forward to report corruption’ – no one does and you know the police, the prosecutor general will require evidence, you take to court evidence, not suspicion.
President Robert Mugabe is accused of presiding over a patronage system that has seen his lieutenants and military chiefs involved in unbridled corruption.
Zimbabweans were last year dumbfounded when the authorities terrorised Anti-Corruption Commission officials and forced some into hiding after the anti-graft body dared to investigate then Mines Minister Obert Mpofu and Saviour Kasukuwere, who was in charge of indigenisation.
COMMENTS
Why do we forever hear these two names when there is talk of corruption —- Obert Mpofu and Saviour Kasukuwere………………
Ah! Comrade Minister,how you never cease to amaze me! Let me let you on a few examples of corruption where people should have been arrested or evenforced to resign from their office. The willogate Motor scandal, the GMB, the ZUPCO fiasco,the commandeering of air Zimbabwe aircraft by the ‘first family’for personal use, the use of state vehicles for party duties, the deployment of state uniformed and non uniformed personnel to guard private property,the use of the defence forces to evict civillians from their rightful property, the selective application of justice, the refusal of à defeated candidate to cede power to a clear winner, the use of force and coercion on the populace in order for a political party to remain in power,the imposition of members of à particular household upon the will of the people to positions of power, the demand for Total subserviance from the people by a so called head of state are just a few examples of corruption which are not on the win-win category. I could go on and on and dont let me start on the holding of sham elections and the most lame excuse of not availing the voters roll to all stake holders. This and loads more is what we call corruption ,Comrade!
Corruption is endemic in Africa. Once upon a time the Africans actually even sold each other to foreigners. They have always been corrupt and always will be. There is no way to end it. The best solution is to accept reality and allow Africa to slowly settle into a society that is in harmony with its nature, which without outside interference will take only a few generations. The Europeans frustrated this natural tendency. But now that they are dispensed with, perhaps other ethnicities (China?) will be more tolerant and allow nature to take its course. Real Africanophiles can only say, viva corruption!!!
Well said Sillywho, a very true observation,viva mugarbage the most corrupt affrican in history!!
Baba Jukwa’s Tokoloshe is now very busy in Zanu.
When those in authority, the military, the policia, the judiciary, are either the corruptors or the corrupted, who is there to hold the crooks to book… and yet, charges against any who oppose Mugabe and ZANUPF are so easily trumped-up, and the full force of those same authorities so quickly brought against them, if only to dismiss the charges after holding the innocent in remand for years to punish him.
Is there a just man in power in Zim..? If so, let him stand and prove it.
It’s right to be cluless as to incriminate the government is suicidce. General poplation count for nothing, worker ants!!!
The liar-exposing corruption is easy. Go visit the big houses with the luxury vehicles in the driveway. Ask the owners to explain the differences of income declared (on tax remittances) and assets owned. Then throw the book at those who cannot explain the difference. Won’t happen of course because the whole rot are corrupt to the core.
We all wish we could line them up and dispatch them with a bullet. The parasites!
The A-Team(Aussies)got the income tax thing down to a fine art b4 being told by govt that their services were no longer required as they had identified many of our ministers to be the most corrupt.Small wonder the Zanyists hav no time for the predominantly efficient western systems of doing business;they prefer Arab, Chinese and Russian graft,then investing their wealth in western capitals because being born in a colony or under Smith they like the white lifestyle of the Americans and British who speak English.
Pamberi mob justice/street revolts
Minister for your information corruption can be controlled. Given the amount of intelligent people out there simply sack all those thieving morons . Freeze their accounts which are not hard to trace. Then start by recruiting the young and not so young who have no criminal records etc. How is other countries can cöntrol corruptiön. Ian Smith did so what lame excuse are you going to say about that you morön.
1st-over taxing citizens is corruption.
2nd-audit all civil servants from 1980 to present day. If u cant account for your wealth against income minus tax then Zimra should collect its dues .
3rd-audit all discovered natural resources in relation to extracted resources and sales an tax.
4th- each of every citizen should account for their riches.
All wealth should be accounted for then corruption will be exposed.
The thief brings a curse upon his own house. Zimbabwe is a nation of thieves. we need to repent, No wonder we cannot experience God’s blessing. Patrick you should all have a lifestyle audit done!
ZANU is clueless about everything, except corruption which it has perfected.
When Thabani Mpofu and others gathered evidence on corrrption and tried to present it they were arrested for impersonating police officers. The strong evidence they had collected was just ignored and they spent months and thousands of dollars defending themselves in the courts…maybe this is why no one comes forward with the evidence Mr Chinamasa.
To end corruption will require will power from the top. But President Mugabe has showed himself countless times to be soft on corruption amongst his supporters.
What a joke it never will be solved the corrupt are all in top positions running the show!Even the courts and police are corrupt.It is just the African way!
The father and sole nurturer of corruption in Zim is Mugabe. He has seen it grow right from independence and has allowed it to fester. As far as he is concerned as long as he remains in power he can turn a blind eye. He blames everyone left right and centre Gays and all but has never once attempted to stem it.
Mugabe should be burnt at the stake to destroy the root of corruption. His whole corrupt Government should go
The next time a Government comes in. Please people dont vote for them for a 2nd five year term. Noone should be allowed to put their feet firmly under the seat in State House.
Kick them out before they get too comfy.
Mugabe is actually Baba Corruption.
Trying to revive the economy under prevailing corruption levels is the equivalent of trying to pressurise a leaking tyre. A totally Pointless task!
The pre-emble to the Zim-Asset document recognises the primacy of eradicating corruption as a prerequisite to the successful implementation of the policy.
If ZANU-PF does not deal effectively with this scrouge, not only will it loose power in 2018, it also risks loosing its revolutionary legacy.
Considering how important it is to the international alliance against the ZANU-PF Legacy to completely destroy the ideological basis of this legacy, reconcialition will not be reciprocated if ZANU-PF looses power. Local proxies will be encouraged to unleash a most brutal retributive solution similar to the Gadaffi solution. Where is Libya now? what has become of the Gadaffi Legacy? Is this our destiny. ZANU-PF wake up, regime change forces are not done with us yet. Zimbabwe presents too huge a threat to their global interests to be allowed to succeed. Corruption is their new tool after the dismal failure of previous instruments. Better to lose a cancerous leg than allow it to take a life. If the Head of State is protecting the corrupt, a palace coup would be a better option to regime change. Deal with corruption or we are all dead!
Zanu pf legacy=murder, corruption, thuggery, election theft, self enrichment,lies, ruination of a country etc
This is the same minister who claims not to understand why foreign investors do not invest in Zimbabwe! I’d say he’s pretty thick! Is this the best they can do? God help us all.