Maridadi says Obert Mpofu and Supa Mandiwanzira must resign and clear their names first

Madam Speaker, a former Chief Executive of a State institution has written a letter to His Excellency, the President and has outlined a latent of allegations of corruption. Hon. Super Mandiwanzira has not gone through due process and yet we hear ZACC saying he has no case to answer. ZACC is not a court of law, ZACC are not the police. Hon. Super Mandiwanzira should be able to say to His Excellency; Your Excellency, I see what is being said about me, let me go on sabbatical leave, let me excuse myself and subject myself to due processes and be cleared and then you can re-appoint me and I will work with you.

Madam Speaker, trust me, I hold dear the principle of not innocent until proven guilty. I am not saying they are guilty but they must be subjected to due processes and they must clear themselves. When you are a public servant, a Member of Parliament, a Minister or Speaker of Parliament; you have subjected yourself to scrutiny and people will scrutinise you. People will put you on the slaughter table, people will slaughter you, dissect you and scrutinise you. This is exactly what we are doing to our Ministers; we are putting them on a slaughter table, we are dissecting them. We are saying your Excellency, Mr. President; this is what we think about your people. Subject them to due process and when they are cleared by due processes, only then can they be re-appointed.

Madam Speaker, if Dr. Chombo was arrested for corruption, Mr. Walter Mzembi arrested for donating four televisions and then you have another Minister who has been arrested for being seen in possession of some packets of beans, some packets of rappoko, how about a man who was in charge of the Ministry of Mines when 15 billion dollars disappeared. At least he must give a statement to the police at the very least. He must be able to walk into a police station and give a statement.

Madam Speaker, those are the issues that this country must grapple with. We can talk about 4 billion dollars being inadequate, this country in terms of resources, is a rich country. The problem is that the bucket in which you are putting the resources, Minister of Finance, has no bottom, there is so much slippage. Zimbabwe has nothing to show for the diamonds that were discovered in Chiadzwa. China has better things to show for our diamonds in Chiadzwa. There are better houses that were constructed in South Africa with money that was taken out of this country by people who split it out of the country to South Africa. South Africa has better things to show.

When we talk about corruption in this House, it is not good enough for us to say, no, there is too much corruption; the President must deal with it. The reason I am mentioning names is because I am saying to His Excellency, the President deal with these people, subject them to due process. When they have been subjected to due process, they must be cleared by competent courts of law. Hon. Mliswa one day stood here to say that he has been arrested for more than 8 times and that on all those occasions he was taken to court and was cleared by a competent court of law, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Madam Speaker, I am saying this, Hon. Ministers that have skeletons in their closets must subject themselves to due process and they must excuse themselves from the President, be subjected and clear themselves.

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