Tough legislation needed to exorcise ghost of corruption FORMER Finance minister Ignatius Chombo

Cuthbert Mavheko

When President Mnangagwa took the oath of office on August 26, he promised a new Zimbabwe, where corruption will not be tolerated.

“We must as a society encourage and inculcate the culture of hard, honest work. The prosecution of perpetrators of corruption will be carried out without fear or favour. In the Second Republic, no person or entity will be allowed to steal, loot or pocket that which belongs to the people of Zimbabwe,” said President Mnangagwa.

Corruption in Zimbabwe has become a cancerous scourge that has permeated every area of human endeavour, making Zimbabwe one of the most corrupt countries in the world. A recent survey by a global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked Zimbabwe number 157 out of the 180 countries surveyed, with Somalia anchoring the pack.

If indeed the truth be told without fear or favour, corruption has become a way of life for some Zimbabweans, who subscribe to the school of thought that it is acceptable and normal behaviour to make easy money without sweating for it. This line of thinking obliterates the concept of hard work and promotes dishonesty, laziness and deceit. It also presents an ethical dilemma to honest Zimbabweans, who now have to justify why they are honest in a society where chicanery and deceit rule the roost.

Under former president Mr Robert Mugabe’s administration, corruption flourished in the country like flowers in bloom while everyone watched as if a circus was in session. What suffered then were not just public and private institutions, but the entire country as its image was terribly tainted. The tragic result is that Zimbabwe became a pariah State in the eyes of the rest of the world and those keen to help the country with economic and social-development diverted their assistance elsewhere.

It is pertinent to note that in the past, there did not appear to be any serious commitment on the part of the previous government to decisively deal with corruption, notwithstanding the fact that alarm bells had started ringing many years ago, when evidence of what has now metamorphosed into a fatal disease now corroding the moral fabric of the nation, was still in its infant stages.

When Chimurenga music guru, Dr Thomas Mapfumo, released his hit song “Corruption” in the late 1980s, no-one took his message seriously. Be that as it may, his prophecy has come to pass as corruption has now assumed alarming levels in Zimbabwe, and this has left the country hanging precariously on the precipice of a moral and ethical Armageddon.

In corporate Zimbabwe, be it in the public or private sectors, incidents of corruption are well-documented. Millions, nay billions, of public funds have been spirited away in state-owned enterprises, feathering the nests of a infinitesimal number of greedy individuals in positions of influence.

As I see it, there appears to be a common thread that runs through most State-owned enterprises. The National Railways of Zimbabwe, the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), the Cold Storage Company, Grain Marketing Board, the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM), Air Zimbabwe and Zesa, the story is the same. Astronomic sums of money have allegedly been siphoned off from these enterprises over the years and the culprits have not been brought to book.

The same scenario prevails in the private sector, where there is allegedly embezzlement of company funds on a grand scale. Those in the know aver that some boards of directors are conniving with corrupt company executives to milk company coffers dry, thereby pushing these companies into financial dire straits. This is arguably one of the major reasons why some companies are failing to recapitalise, improve productivity, efficiency and reduce production costs.

When top company executives award themselves obscene remuneration that has not been sanctioned by the board of directors, then the board of directors has an unmitigated responsibility, in fact a duty, to discipline the culprits. However, this is not what usually happens.

This scribe’s views and perceptions are based on a solid foundation of experience. I joined industry in 1985, following my retirement from the Zimbabwe National Army. For more than a decade I was involved in trade unionism as a workers’ representative. While on a tour of duty as a workers’ representative, I had the privilege of interacting with industrialists, captains of industry, boards of directors and officials from trade unions and National Employment Councils. One pertinent observation I made is that boards of directors, which are mandated with the role of oversight over company executives are, in most cases, just as corrupt as the company executives.

Some company executives buy the silence of directors by inflating their sitting allowances in a well-calculated move to cover up their own short-comings. In some cases, company executives lavish non-executive company directors with low-interest loans, state-of-the-art automobiles and luxurious mansions in leafy suburbs. Indeed, this is a shocking state of affairs!

Company executives have long realised that the easiest way to loot a company is to buy the silence of company directors. Once the directors are in the pockets of corrupt company executives, the company is looted to the point of bankruptcy.

The “Zimbabwe is open for business” gospel being promulgated by the new political dispensation in Zimbabwe has charmed the international community and there now appears to be a stampede by international investors to invest in Zimbabwe. Even countries that were once hostile to Zimbabwe have expressed willingness to re-engage with President Mnangagwa’s government. It is thus gratifying to note that the new administration has moved into action to make Zimbabwe attractive and conducive for business by declaring zero tolerance to corruption.

To successfully prosecute the war against corruption, the Government should, first and foremost, refine the country’s legal framework and structures by enacting legislation that makes corruption a very serious offence. This legislation should be impartial and should ensure that all perpetrators of corruption, big or small, face the full wrath of the law. Over the years, there has been growing concern among the generality of the people over the failure by the previous administration to bring to book bigwigs fingered in acts of corruption.

President Mnangagwa has demonstrated his unwavering commitment in fighting corruption through various strategies, which began when he declared a three-month moratorium to those involved in externalising foreign currency.

According to some reports, over US$850 million has been repatriated back to Zimbabwe through this exercise.

President Mnangagwa has also made it clear, to all and sundry, that no-one is above the law. To drive home his point, several high-profile individuals fingered in acts of corruption have been arrested. These include former government officials Jason Machaya, Makhosini Hlongwane, Ignatius Chombo and Walter Mzembi, to mention just a few.

As I conclude this piece, I must point out that the nation needs whistle-blowers capable of providing requisite information and proof of wrong-doing to relevant authorities like the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, with guarantees of anonymity and protection publicly assured by the government. Without these guarantees, whistle-blowers are likely to desist from reporting cases of corruption,particularly those involving top business executives and political heavyweights, out of fear of retribution.

*Cuthbert Mavheko is a freelance journalist based in Bulawayo. He has contributed articles and short-stories to Chronicle, Sunday News and various other publications since 1995. He can be contacted via email [email protected] or mobile phone 0773 963 448.

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