Corruption busters, the Zimbabwe Anti – Corruption Commission (Zacc) should be given more powers to investigate various cases of graft involving top government ministers, the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai has said.
In a press statement — MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said Zacc has thus far acted like a paper tiger, failing abysmally to discharge its mandate.
Even though Zacc is established in terms of Section 254 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe — with powers to investigate and expose cases of corruption in the public and private sectors as well as to combat corruption, theft, misappropriation, abuse of power and other improper conduct in the public and private sectors, it has not yet nailed a single senior politician.
Thus far, Zacc’s only high profile case is the one involving Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo, who is accused of looting the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).
However, the MDC says Moyo’s case is just a tip of the iceberg.
“Cases of rampant and unmitigated corruption, over the years, have been reported at the Premier Service Medical Aid Society (Psmas), the various subsidiary companies of Zesa Holdings, the Parks & Wildlife Management Authority, Zimdef, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Air Zimbabwe, the diamond mining sector etc.
“It is very saddening and indeed, depressing to note that the Zacc has not been given enough latitude and space to thoroughly investigate these reported cases of insipid and debilitating corruption,” Gutu said.
In his defence Moyo has, without mentioning names claimed that some top Zanu PF officials have looted funds from Zinara and paved tarred roads to their farms.
He also at one point claimed that there is a top government official who built a mansion in his rural home using money from diamond loot.
In its latest report on corruption in Zimbabwe, Transparency International revealed that the cash-strapped country is losing at least $1 billion annually because of graft.
“This is a very startling statistic especially considering the fact that Zimbabwe is being run on an annual budget of about $4 billion.
“This, effectively, means that at least one quarter of our budget is lost through the cancer of corruption annually. Corruption militates against socio-economic development and it invariably causes political upheaval and instability.
“On numerous occasions, the MDC ,as a social democratic political party that is anchored on the values of honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency, has called for the arrest and prosecution of all corrupt public and private individuals as long as there has been thorough, unbiased, impartial and diligent investigation,” said Gutu.
“As a political party, the MDC has resolutely adopted a zero tolerance policy to all forms of corruption. Thus, without fear or favour, the MDC would like to call for the uncompromising enforcement of the country’s anti-corruption laws as well as the arrest and prosecution of all suspects as long as the evidence against them is strong and unassailable,” said Gutu. Daily News
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