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Cuthbert Dube

Harare – The National Assembly on Tuesday welcomed action the government has taken so far in dealing with corruption scandals that have rocked the country since the beginning of the year.There have been revelations of scandals involving parastatal bosses who were earning astronomical salaries while, in most cases, the businesses they headed were struggling.

Some of the highest paid CEOs include former Premier Services Medical Aid Society chief executive officer Cuthbert Dube who was earning more than $500,000 monthly.

Other highly paid CEOs included NetOne’s Reward Kangai who took home $43,693 while ousted ZBC boss Happison Muchechetere was earning $37,050 per month despite the fact that workers at the corporation went for more than six months without pay.

In response the government last month capped salaries and perks for parastatal and local authorities bosses at $6,000 monthly.

The government decision will see approximately $1,1 million being saved monthly.

Bikita West Member of the National Assembly Dr Munyaradzi Kereke said although the government efforts were commendable there was a need to mete out stiffer penalties against culprits fingered in corrupt activities.

“We want to commend the speedy action which government took to regularise the parastatal heads’ salaries but we feel more action still needs to be done to recover what is due to the public,” he said.

He said unless action is taken to punish the culprits, the country will not be able to reduce cases of corruption.

Dr Kereke was debating a motion calling for the immediate appointment of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and establishment of an Ad hoc Parliamentary Committee to investigate cases of corruption in public entities.

He however said it was not necessary for Parliament to create a committee as there were relevant institutions already mandated to deal with such issues.

“There is an issue before the House the formation of a parliamentary committee, I am of a different view Mr Speaker Sir that is what is needed is action and not committees.

“This is the view that I hold dearly because as a country through this august House, the relevant institutions are in existence to fight corruption not from one dimension but from multiple dimensions. We do have the ZACC whose mandate, whose daily bread ought to be fighting corruption. We have the ZRP which among other duties is ensuring that there is good order in the country but in their daily duties their role is also to fight crime, ensure there is law and order and also to that end defeat the vice of corruption.”

Contributing to the same debate Makoni South legislator Mandi Chimene said corruption was destroying the country.

Chimene said the government should put in place mechanisms to protect whistleblowers against intimidation from offenders as a lot of corruption was going unreported due to fear of victimisation.

“We cannot live in a country where people are afraid to say what they have seen because of intimidation,” she said.
Kuwadzana East MP Nelson Chamisa said many times the real architects of corruption were going unpunished.

“We have to make sure we deal with the big fish. At the moment we are seeing small fish frying while the big fish swim in corruption,” he said.

To further curb corruption in public entities, the government is in the process of crafting a comprehensive salary structure for civil servants through the Cabinet Committee on State Enterprises and Parastatals development. – New Ziana.