Zimbabwe is being administered a like a tuck-shop and sometimes when you read a newspaper you can sometimes be forgiven for thinking that this country is run by a loot committee, a Bulawayo Member of Parliament said recently.
Anele Ndebele, the MP for Magwegwe, who belongs to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai, said Zimbabwe’s hardworking vendors can do better than the government.
“I do not know why ministers are not copying from our hardworking vendors out there. It also baffles the mind Hon. Speaker, when you get up one morning to read in the newspaper that a whole Minister of Finance has borrowed money from the Treasury. It is not a loan disbursing institution. Are you as Parliament able to borrow me money because of all the people here, I am broke,” he told the House of Assembly during his contribution to the President’s Speech.
Zimbabwe has been rocked by a number of corruption scandals, some involving ministers.
Cecil John Rhodes, who helped colonise Zimbabwe, set up what was known as a Loot Committee to share the spoils they plundered from local blacks including about 400 000 cattle.
Ndebele added: “If you interrogate ZESA, those who provide water, those with outstanding phone bills that have not been paid for more than 10, 15 or 20 years, you will discover it is ministers.
“I agree with Hon. Chamisa when he argues that this country has very dangerous ministers. Look at the Presidential Scholarship. Currently, it is benefiting children of ministers, people who are able in their own right to send their children outside the country at the expense of very poor children.”
Full contribution:
HON. NDEBELE: Hon. Speaker, good afternoon. I have just a few points that I would like to refer to during this debate but let me state that I am pleased at the opportunity to debate this motion on the Presidential Speech.
On behalf of the people of Magwegwe, allow me to express our gratitude to His Excellency for taking time to deliver the opening address. May I also thank his good lady for taking time similarly, off her busy schedule to grace the occasion. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we have not had the opportunity to interact with a hard copy of the same speech. Agreeably, some of us or most of us were born before computers and we feel better when we read from a hard copy.
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