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President Mugabe

PRESIDENT Mugabe has always abhorred corruption and his pronouncement on Thursday that Government does not protect corrupt people is consistent with his anti-graft stance. The Head of State and Government has led by example and from the front by declaring corruption the nation’s number one enemy and we commend him for his zero tolerance for the vice which is gnawing away at the fabric of society and scaring away investors.

One of the main reasons why President Mugabe has survived a barrage of attacks from the West which has been vilifying him for almost two decades is that he leads a clean life devoid of scandal. In their blind quest to besmirch his name, the Western media has sought to link him to all manner of corrupt activities but has always come unstuck as their investigations always yield nothing.

The President has been wrongly associated with multi-million dollar castles in Scotland, offshore accounts in island tax havens, properties in the Far East and some shady businessmen in China but amid all these accusations, he has solidly stood his ground and challenged his tormentors to prove their tales.

So far none of them has risen to the challenge because the President is a frugal and principled man who leads a simple life. His forthrightness is what endears him to the masses and in Government, he always preaches a message of zero tolerance to corruption.

Officially opening Murongwe Primary School and clinic in Dande on Thursday, Cde Mugabe said Government does not protect corrupt people and the law should take its course on all reported cases of graft. He said anyone accused of wrongdoing should be brought before the courts and defend their cases.

His remarks came in the wake of a series of media reports implicating Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and his deputy Dr Godfrey Gandawa in the abuse of Zimdef funds.

“We don’t protect those who commit crimes.  If someone has committed a crime, they have committed a crime.  We don’t protect them.  However, we don’t like a situation where the innocent are falsely accused of wrongdoing. “We want such issues to be exposed and suspects defend themselves in court.

“If they have lawyers they defend them.  We don’t want our people to rely on media reports.  That this one must be arrested, this one must be fired.

The party does not operate like that.  Allegations must be properly investigated and suspects taken to court.  If anyone stole money, let it come out in the open.  It must be clear how the corruption was done and the culprits are punished accordingly, even if it means they go to jail,” President Mugabe said.

We welcome the President’s clarification on this matter and hope that the various agencies involved in investigating and prosecuting crimes involving corruption have been put on notice. The President’s message is clear and unambiguous in that the nation will not protect anyone, regardless of their station, from carrying their cross if they have done something wrong.

This is important because an impression had been created — to the detriment of both the ruling party and Government — that certain senior individuals were immune to prosecution by dint of their positions. Abuse of public funds is a serious offence which impugns the image of the Government in the eyes of the public and officials who are found wanting in this regard need to face the consequences of their actions.

In the same breadth, we are alive to the principle of innocent until proven guilty and call for due processes to be allowed to play out. Accused persons deserve their day in court where allegations they are facing will be put to the test because this is the way it should be.

President Mugabe has demonstrated astute leadership by declaring that he will not interfere with court processes and will allow the law to take its course. At the same time he has displayed his impartiality by calling for fairness in dealing with the cases and not for people to be tried in the media or the court of public opinion.

This is the hallmark of a great leader and now that he has pronounced himself on the matter, we hope to see the wheels of justice turning and the various cases of corruption being tried to the satisfaction of tax-paying Zimbabweans.