Joice Mujuru scores own goal

By Moses Chamboko

Joice Mujuru must have religiously mastered the old adage “Those who live in glass houses must not throw stones”.

In view of her recent outburst following disclosure of what is now known as obscene salaries at struggling parastatals and other State institutions; one is left with the impression that the Vice President has something to hide and is concerned that the exposures might soon be at her doorstep.

Calling the SalaryGate expose’ “the work of subversive elements trying to destroy Zanu PF and its government from within” is shocking, especially coming from a person aspiring to be Zimbabwe’s first female president.

Addressing the Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial women’s conference in Chinhoyi on Saturday, Mujuru is reported to have said that graft cases should not be discussed in the media. Elsewhere, the Anti-Corruption Commission or the police would have moved swiftly to investigate or reprimand the Vice President.

Ephraim Chawanda was undoubtedly one of the best defenders to ever grace the national team. However, some would also remember, vividly and with pain, Evans Mambara’s discerning scream “Oh, my God, an own goal by Ephraim Chawanda”. At a very crucial time, this is precisely what Joice Mujuru has just done.

Those who regarded her as an upright person who should be given a chance have been left wondering. Yes, she is an ordinary African woman of a very simple mind but not many people thought she could be this feeble.

In her unsophisticated mind, Joice Mujuru’s deep conviction is that targeting corruption is synonymous with targeting ZANU PF and the government. This is an open admission that the two are as good as Siamese twins, oh, boy!

After this shocking revelation, it has become quite apparent that neither Mujuru nor Mnangagwa has the right credentials nor qualities to be first tenant at State House. While both are inexorably tainted with corruption, Mujuru lacks the mental capacity to lead while Mnagwgwa, despite his sophistication and intelligence, is too cruel to be our president.

Zimbabwe needs a fresh pair of transformative leadership. In business strategy, there is something called “positive disruption”. If Joice Mujuru believed in this (assuming she has heard about it), she would have seen SalaryGate as a perfect opportunity. Instead, she chooses “see no evil, hear no evil”

A question some of us are beginning to ask is “Over the years how much tax has Joice Mujuru’s business empire paid to the government?” Zimbabweans must now demand that financial statements for all state enterprises be made public.

We need to know how those entities are operating, how they are managed, what profit and loss they are making and above all, what the bosses are earning. Madam Joice, the cat is out of the bag. Seeing everything in terms of factionalism is being too myopic.

Aren’t you ashamed when your government approaches European capitals with a begging bowl for school fees for disadvantaged children when Cuthbert Dube’s undeserved one month salary can pay fees for several children? Some of us know that a $500K mortgage takes an average of 25 years to pay off in a very stable economy. In Harare, a CEO for a loss-making parastatal can pay off a lifetime mortgage in less than two months, how bizarre!!!

Lastly, an official notice (NOTE NO: 5/14/ZCBR/PROT9 dated 31 Jan 2014) from the Zimbabwe Embassy in Canberra caught my attention “….to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and to all Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations in Canberra and has the honour to advise that the following Zimbabwean diplomatic passport has been cancelled and its validity declared null and void”.

The letter goes on to give Jacqueline Zwambia’s passport details. One wonders what has happened to diplomatic etiquette. Why does anybody think this is a matter for the international community? Isn’t a diplomatic passport supposed to be withdrawn through proper channels at the end of diplomatic posting?

How many ZANU PF zealots are criss-crossing the world using diplomatic passports well after their tour of duty comes to an end? The Zimbabwe embassy in Canberra needs a serious mop-up. Some of the clowns masquerading as diplomats in that office behave as if they didn’t go beyond primary school. Maybe this is what happens when people have overstayed their posting.  This is disgusting, shameful and undiplomatic!

Moses Chamboko is the Interim Secretary General for Zimbabweans United for Democracy (ZUNDE). Visit them at www.zunde.org or email: [email protected]