MP says we need another “Sandura Commission” to curb corruption

Buhera Central Member of Parliament Ronald Muderedzwa has called for tougher action on corruption, something similar to the Sandura Commission of 1989 which saw at least four senior cabinet ministers resigning after being named in a vehicle scandal, because people were getting tired of government just talking and not taking any action.

The Sandura Commission was set up after the Bulawayo daily, The Chronicle, exposed a scandal in which cabinet ministers, senior government officials and favoured company executives were buying vehicles from Willowvale Motor Industries and reselling them at inflated prices sometimes three to four times what they had paid.

The commission was headed by Wilson Sandura, one of the first black judges in Zimbabwe. He retired from the bench in 2011 and died in March this year.

“I think that in this country, we have talked a lot about corruption and we are not acting,” Muderedzwa said in response to the President’s speech on the official opening of Parliament. “We are not action-oriented in that regard and it is making people get tired about this word ‘corruption’. There are a lot of bad things that are happening across the nation.

“There is corruption in government, in the private sector and even in communities. We need to find out how other countries have done it. China and Rwanda have dealt effectively with corruption and what is the missing link? What is it that we are not doing? We need to expose corruption. Once we have exposed it, let us ensure that those who are corrupt are punished despite the fact that they are in high offices.

“I am reminded of the Sandura Commission; how it worked around corruption and this is exactly what we need in this country. The President said that government is going to ginger up its systems to deal with corruption and I would like to believe that it is going to happen.”

Muderedzwa also said it was now the time to act and not just talk.

“Let us not just talk about things but let us do them. Let us be doers and not researchers or talkers. I am influenced by observations that were made by Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman, renowned researchers in the field of productivity. They came up with a research on a topic entitled, In Search of Excellence. They came up with eight attributes of effective management of productivity and I am just going to take three out of the eight and highlight them to this House.

“They were concerned about bias towards action. They were saying it is better to do things rather than to talk about them. People believe in what they see and not what is being talked about.

“They also talked about staying close to the customer and that we should listen to what people are saying. People who are in the rural areas are clamouring to be supported in the area of electricity, water and drought relief provision. These are the issues that we should be sensitive about and address because that is where the majority of our people are staying.

“The researchers were concerned about being hands-on and value driven. They said top management should know what is happening at the shop floor. Being high up there does not mean that you should not be knowing what is happening. Even ourselves as hon. members, we should be in the know of what is happening in our communities so that we are able to address the issues that are in our communities.”

Full contribution:

MR. MUDEREDZWA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me the opportunity to make my contribution. I would like to first thank the mover of the motion, Hon. Mutomba and Hon. Dziva for seconding this motion. I would like to thank the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe for officially opening the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe on the 16th September, 2015.

Before I delve into issues that the President raised in his Speech, I would like to address issues of misconception that have been raised by other hon. members during the course of the debate. When Hon. Khupe, was making her contribution to this debate, she alluded to the fact that the President’s Speech was empty and had nothing for the people of Zimbabwe. Madam Speaker, I view that as a misconception because the speech that was presented by the President was made in context. Remember, the President came to this august House prior to this address and he was giving a State of the Nation Address. In his State of the Nation Address, he came up with the 10 Point Action Plan that was looking at addressing economic issues to do with this country and what the Government was doing to do in order to address the economic situation of this country. Those people who would have wanted the President to address these issues during his last address ended up mixing those two speeches. On the second aspect of his address on the 16th September, 2015, the speech that was made by the President was in context. He was addressing issues to do with alignment of laws to the Constitution. He was addressing issues to do with amending the laws that are impediments to investment. He was addressing issues to do with laws that make it difficult to do business in Zimbabwe. These are the Bills that he was coming up with to Parliament and said in terms of Section 116 and 117 of the Constitution, the office of the President and Parliament have got a responsibility to make laws. In other words, the President was coming up with a task or job for Parliament to do. These are the issues that Hon. Khupe should have realised. So in my view, the speech that was made by the President was job specific and it was highlighting the nature of the job or the task that was at hand.

Looking at the aspect of the issues that have been raised by Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga, she is always raising issues to do with northern/southern region arguments purporting that the southern region is less developed than the northern region which is a misconception. For people who have travelled this country, you will realise that across the nation, we have areas that have not been developed enough throughout the country. I were to give examples Madam Speaker, if you go to Manicaland, you find areas like Buhera, Nyanga and Ruwangwe, there are areas that are under developed.

If you go to Mashonaland East, in Mudzi, Mashonaland Central, in Rushinga and parts Mount Darwin, you will realise that there are areas that are under developed. Mashonaland West and the area around Kariba are under developed. In Midlands, some other parts of Gokwe, are under developed. Masvingo and Chikombedzi areas are also under developed. Matabeleland South, Mpoengs and other areas down south of that province, there are areas that are under developed. Matabeleland North, Binga and Tsholotsho, there are areas that are under developed. This is why the people of Zimbabwe …. –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order, hon. members!

MR. MUDEREDZWA: This is why the people of Zimbabwe in their wisdom, in the new Constitution came up with Section 13 that talks about balanced national development and Section 18, that talks about fair regional representation. The worries that are being raised by Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga are being addressed by the nation. So, she should not always come up with the argument about north and south differences. –[Inaudible interjections]-

Madam Speaker, Hon. Cross was worried that we are having more universities in this country and he wanted universities to be places for the elite. His assumption was that if somebody comes from the university, he should get some employment somewhere outside the country. We are training people to live in this country and develop it and not to export them. –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]- People whom we are developing at our universities should be there to develop Zimbabwe and not to go to Europe. This is why we are saying we need more universities. We need each and everyone to have access to university education. It should not be a preserve of the few. This is why we came up with other universities like the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). It has done a lot in this country to develop those people who could not ordinarily get university education. What I can agree with Hon. Cross to an extent is that our universities are for academics. We are not planning our education to be based on action research and innovation.

Our universities should come up with people who are skilled and able to do something, not people who are always writing some thesis because thesis alone do not help us as a nation. I am saying our universities should have a re-orientation so that we do things rather than talk about things or write them. Madam Speaker, I thought it is important for me to correct those misconceptions because they are already on record in the Hansard.

I would now like to raise the issue that was addressed by His Excellency, the President to say we need a law that should overhaul the Companies Act and its appended pieces of legislation so that we are able to do business faster in this country. We do not need such complicated laws for a person to form a company. We should simplify our laws so that we are able to facilitate each and everyone who would like to come up with a company to form his/her own company. So we applaud the President for coming up with such an observation.

Madam Speaker, I noted that the President was talking about the need to amend the State Procurement Act so that the processes are simplified and that ministries are able to purchase requirements without any problems. Right now, the system is very bureaucratic and it is giving authorities problems. I have realised lately that ZESA was given an assignment to ensure that we develop solar energy in this country. There are certain companies that had come up to create such industries in Plumtree, Gwanda and some other places, but it is two years now and nothing has happened.

The State Procurement Board is still working on those issues that should have been solved long back so that we at least have alternative sources of energy. We are saying there is need for a law that is going to simplify the processes of procurement so that the respective ministries are given leeway to do things in time. Madam Speaker, the President talked the need for the nation to come up with a Land Commission. I applaud him for that and I am hoping that once the Land Commission has been put in place, it is going to deal with very contentious issues of multiple farm ownership and farm sizes.

We have people who have got big farms in this country whilst others do not have any. It is unfair. We are saying that once the Lands Commission is put in place, it is going to move with speed to look at such issues and address them as a matter of urgency. We have people who are also having problems with double allocation of pieces of land, especially the A1s and A2s, and it is my fervent hope and conviction that once the Commission has been put in place, it is going to address such issues.

Madam Speaker Ma’am, the President talked about the need to have a law that is going to combine the War Veterans Act with the Ex-Political Detainees, Restrictees and the War Collaborators into one piece of legislation that is going to look into the welfare of that category of people. I want to applaud the President for that and remember that during the past sessions…

An hon. member having passed between the Chair and the hon. member speaking.

THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order hon. member, just proceed but next time you are not supposed to obstruct the vision between the Chair and the one who is debating. Can you proceed?

MR. MUDEREDZWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I was thanking the President for coming up with this observation because during the past sessions, we came up with a motion in this august House that was highlighting the plight of war veterans. We are happy as war veterans that our cry has been heard and our issues are now being addressed. We have a fully fledged Ministry that is going to look into the affairs, the welfare and other challenges that have to do with war veterans. We would like to see the consolidation of those pieces of legislation put in place as soon as possible.

Madam Speaker, the President also touched on the rationalisation of the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act. Yes, as a country, we are geo-located with other countries around us and we are competing for foreign direct investment with these other countries. I think that it is prudent for us to see what it is that is causing visitors to go to Botswana, Zambia and South Africa and leave Zimbabwe which is endowed with a lot of resources. We need to do something around the laws so that we make them flexible so that we attract investment as well.

Madam Speaker, I will conclude my debate on the aspect of corruption. I think that in this country, we have talked a lot about corruption and we are not acting. We are not action-oriented in that regard and it is making people get tired about this word ‘corruption’. There are a lot of bad things that are happening across the nation. There is corruption in Government, in the private sector and even in communities. We need to find out how other countries have done it. China and Rwanda have dealt effectively with corruption and what is the missing link? What is it that we are not doing? We need to expose corruption. Once we have exposed it, let us ensure that those who are corrupt are punished despite the fact that they are in high offices. I am reminded of the Sandura Commission; how it worked around corruption and this is exactly what we need in this country. The President said that Government is going to ginger up its systems to deal with corruption and I would like to believe that it is going to happen.

Madam Speaker, I would like to urge hon. members who are in this House and the Executive to say now is the time to act. Let us not just talk about things but let us do them. Let us be doers and not researchers or talkers. I am influenced by observations that were made by Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman, renowned researchers in the field of productivity. They came up with a research on a topic entitled, “In Search of Excellence”. They came up with eight attributes of effective management of productivity and I am just going to take three out of the eight and highlight them to this House.

They were concerned about bias towards action. They were saying it is better to do things rather than to talk about them. People believe in what they see and not what is being talked about. They also talked about staying close to the customer and that we should listen to what people are saying. People who are in the rural areas are clamouring to be supported in the area of electricity, water and drought relief provision. These are the issues that we should be sensitive about and address because that is where the majority of our people are staying. The researchers were concerned about being hands-on and value driven. They said top management should know what is happening at the shop floor. Being high up there does not mean that you should not be knowing what is happening. Even ourselves as hon. members, we should be in the know of what is happening in our communities so that we are able to address the issues that are in our communities.

In conclusion Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the President. He was very specific, accurate and to the point on the issues that he wanted to put across to Parliament. He wanted Parliament to be aware of the fact that there is a job to be done during this session – to make laws and I would like to appeal to each and every one of us, let us be equal to the task in this regard. I thank you Madam Speaker.

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