Saturday, 08 October 2016
Corrupt politicians and public officials must be arrested
Recent reports concerning the alleged pilfering of public funds in the Ministry of Higher & Tertiary Education, Science & Technology Development leave a very bitter test in the mouth.
From facts that are now in the public domain, both the Minister of Higher Education, Jonathan Moyo and his deputy, Godfrey Gandawa, have a prima facie criminal case to answer.
The two public officials allegedly siphoned the sum of US$270 000 from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef). Zimdef was created to benefit students at tertiary institutions in the whole country. Essentially, therefore, Zimdef is constituted of taxpayers’ money.
The MDC has stated, times without number, that corruption, particularly in the public sector, is at the root of the political and socio – economic crisis that is presently bedevilling the nation.
For many a time, Zanu PF Cabinet Ministers and other highly placed bureaucrats in the civil service have brazenly stolen and/or abused public funds and public resources such as farming inputs and machinery etc.
Recently, the Zanu PF regime had to railroad an Act of Parliament that ensured that the State inherited the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe debt in the sum of US$1.3 million.
The RBZ debt was largely constituted of debts that the central bank had incurred; particularly during the Gideon Gono era as the RBZ Governor.
Gono had pioneered a rapacious and criminal style of administration at the central bank wherein the apex bank undertook quasi – fiscal activities such as buying farming inputs, farming equipment and posh houses for top Zanu PF officials as well as some High Court and Supreme Court judges.
It is apparent that thieving of public resources has always been the Zanu PF way of running matters of State. It is indeed shocking to hear Jonathan Moyo raising the lame and very ridiculous excuse that he stole Zimdef money in order to buy bicycles for villagers in his Tsholotsho North constituency because other Zanu PF politicians in other regions of the country also steal public funds in order to tar roads to their rural homesteads!
Jonathan Moyo should be told, straight in his face, that stealing is stealing and also that stealing is a criminal offence; no matter who commits the act of stealing and/or fraud.
In fact, if Zimbabwe is to successfully extricate herself from the debilitating socio – economic degradation, we should adopt a zero tolerance policy towards corruption.
It is a notorious fact that all Zanu PF Cabinet Ministers are forehead deep in corruption. The criminal exploits of Samuel Undenge, the Minister of Energy & Power Development, have also been very well – documented in the public domain.
Continued next page
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