Shamva South Member of Parliament Joseph Mapiki says corruption did not start now but during the transitional government when then Movement for Democratic Change secretary-general Tendai Biti was Minister of Finance so Biti and former Energy Minister Elton Mangoma should be arrested.
“I think our greatest challenge in Zimbabwe is that we do not know the proper definition for corruption,” Mapiki said in his contribution to the debate on the Public Accounts Committee report on the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
“Even our laws cannot explain what corruption is. We are not defining whether it is physical or mental corruption because in all instances, people end up not being prosecuted. I think going back, we have seen that there are cases that we thought were corruption, for instance in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, during the time of Mangoma, a lot of things happened and we thought he would be arrested. However, up to now he is free and we do not know what corruption is.
“What I alluded to in the Ministry of Health and Child Care and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in 2012 and 2013, you will find that a lot of money was transferred into missionary clinics accounts like St Alberts and Chikombedzi. There was no paperwork to show where the money came from and its purpose. All this started during the GNU era. So, a lot of Ministers in the GNU should be prosecuted including Biti and Mangoma.”
Opposition Members of Parliament shouted that Mugabe should be arrested too.
Full contribution:
*HON. MAPIKI: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Firstly, I would want to thank Hon. Mpariwa, the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee for the Report which is to the point. The biggest point we found is that these books that are coming, it has been happening since 2012 up to now. So, the reports that we are tabling should look back because if we look at how the system was in Government dealings, it did not start now. If you look at some of the issues involving money, like the targeted funds which was directed to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry which was there, the Ministry of Finance which was headed by Hon. Biti used to transfer money targeted for hospitals.
If it is prosecuting people, it should start during the GNU process. I felt I should deal with this properly because corruption started during the GNU when Biti was leading. So, if we are to start convicting people we should start from that period. The money that was loaned to ZISCO Steel …
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MARUMAHOKO): Hon. Chibaya, may you withdraw your remark.
HON. CHIBAYA: Thank you Hon. Speaker, I do not know what to withdraw.
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