We also have the one on the public officer’s accountability. As Parliament, as you know Madam Speaker, we are leading in ensuring that there is a lifestyle audit on us. That is okay but what about the public officers, the Ministers, the President and the Vice Presidents. Everyone must go through this because you cannot talk about the public officers not coming and telling us what they have before they are in power. No wonder why this corruption goes unabated because all they do is plunder and nothing else. When you plunder and know there is somebody watching you, you are likely to stop because you know they are going to ask me what I have.
Right now, we must be able to know that when I got into Parliament or as a Minister I had three cars, after that I have got four cars emanating from a, b, c, d. We cannot ask our Ministers about that. The public officers cannot be asked about that. So, here is a loophole for people to just plunder, especially where the Ministers have the power to appoint the boards. These boards are being appointed just to plunder. Whenever one is going according to what the Minister wants, the board is fired.
Parliament, we have oversight but we do not have powers like the South African Parliament has to scrutinise and appoint these parastatal heads. I want to thank the President for having recognised what Parliament did in saying, we cannot have Madam Mildred Chari being taken out and bring in Ndudzo, yet she clearly was doing her job in exposing. So, if you look at the exposure that she has done, the President must be briefed by the Auditor General in terms of how Government has been functioning. That is the only way the President can fire his Ministers. This Ministry’s performance is like this, but there is no framework that is used.
The Auditor General’s reports and recommendations are critical in terms of doing that and I think if as Parliament we push for those recommendations, Parliament will go a long way in achieving a lot. There will be more credibility for us than anything else. I want to really thank all Members of Parliament for having pushed that. That showed that we were one when it came to corruption; that showed we were serving people. I would like to applaud that and that spirit must continue, especially Members from ZANU PF. I really saw Mbuya Nehanda rising on that one, that manga magarirwa musi uya muchitaurira vakuru venyu kuti aiwa zvamurikuita handizvo. Rambai muchizviita, musingasarudze faction aiwa. Rovai chokwadi sechokwadi.
On the Land Developers’ Bill – Madam Speaker, I am in an urban constituency, which whether you like it or not, I have to say this. This Government, which is a ZANU PF Government, is the godfather of the land barons. There has never been any other Government since 1980, except the Government of National Unity (GNU). They must deal with land barons. Failure to deal with land barons, you are losing elections.
People have no title deeds; their money is fleeced left, right and centre. To me, the reason why the Land Developers’ Bill is coming is admittedly ZANU PF admitting that we cannot deal with land barons. I am emotional because I am in Norton and I am seeing Kingsdale, Galloway, ZAHA, and these companies which are there, and absolutely people without title deeds who have brought their properties 20 years ago, fully paid for. The land barons are coming again saying no, you have to pay VAT but 20 years ago there was no VAT. So, how are we waking up just one day and things have changed? One family, the father passes on who bought the land, the mother is kicked out with the kids and they re-sale that to somebody else – that cannot happen.
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