Chegutu MP says it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money to inject only $2 million to revive David Whitehead

Madam Speaker, I also need to say what was brought up as an expenditure of US$160 000 against revenue of US$132 000.  It can only speak to CCN in this context, Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism.  You cannot have an expenditure of US$160 000, where your revenue is US$132 000 and produce receipts that speak to a revenue that is ballooned, it can only mean there was corruption.  To cover that, receipts were originated that had effect of ballooning the expenditure against the revenue that was so minimal.

As I conclude, I need to say such reports should find their day where any delinquencies are sanctioned.  There is a sanction of some sort against any delinquent director or office bearer so that the Committee which is a post audit committee can then know that their work is cut out for them.  Whatever it is that they bring here as reports to audit reports can be adhere to and action can be taken, otherwise they will be found barking all the time in Parliament but to no resolve.  I speak like this because this is your committee of Parliament, if you do not call for sanctions of some sort to be imposed on those that are found on the wrong side of the law; you are akin to removing and destroying that committee and you remove the impetus, the zeal that they have in terms of their operation.

Madam Speaker, it is time you put your foot down and call for action on reports such as these ones.  This House should adhere to a clarion call that I am making today that no amount of hoodwinking and pulling wool over this House and over everybody in the cotton industry by the judicial Manager at David Whitehead is going to resuscitate David Whitehead in its present state, but only turning credit into equity and removing one office from Judicial Management and giving back the company to its former workers and former retrenches…

THE ACTING SPEAKER: I want to remind Hon. Members that you can whisper in the House but not shout so can Hon. Nduna be heard in silence.

HON. NDUNA:  If credit has been turned into equity only then can David Whitehead attract investors to partner it so that it can be rehabilitated and rejuvenated.  The equipment that currently is housed at David Whitehead is both becoming moribund, it is old fashioned and can no longer take modern day operations to beneficiate our cotton and raw material in order to have a final product exported from Zimbabwe.

 Government has taken a very strong position to give to cotton farmers three seasons worth of free input. We can only support and complement those efforts of also taking over the US$68 million COTTCO debt by sorting out the beneficiation chain of David Whitehead.  This is by removal of the Judicial Manager, turning back credit into equity and attracting investment.

Madam Speaker, I say this aware that an AGM was held quite recently and the judicial Manager really said in that AGM, he is running to the Minister of Industry and Commerce to get US$2 million.   By the effort of this debate and by the fact that I stand here today, that should quickly close the door to that machination and remove that Judicial Manager from his current entrenched position and turn credit of David Whitehead into equity in order to attract the much needed economic investment to certainly emancipate the formally marginalized black majority and beneficiate the cotton industry to its total emancipation. Thank you.

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