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Joseph Madzimure, Harare Bureau

THE anti- graft crusade by the Zanu-PF Youth League is being motivated by the desire to subject people to account and not political considerations, a party official has said.

The youth league’s deputy secretary, Cde Lewis Matutu said the youth league is not motivated by a desire to tarnish other people’s images but to fight corruption, a cancer which has compromised the economy.

“The youth are the most vulnerable, hence there is need to speak with one voice to build the economy through fighting corruption. 

“We have had people that were trying to frighten us and use tribal cards in corruption cases, people trying to use issues of factionalism which do not exist but that has failed to work,” said Cde Matutu. 

He applauded the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) saying those allegedly involved in corruption should clear themselves before the Commission and the courts.

 “If you are clean you will be proven so by the courts.

“We are also very happy about ZACC because for the first time President Mnangagwa has delivered in the fight against corruption.

“ZACC is very serious, they don’t care about individual opinion or interests, they care about public resources and their mandate is to deliver and we are very happy,” he said.

Cde Matutu added: “Instead of clearing themselves they go for politicking but corruption issues have nothing to do with politics, corruption requires response, evidence and defence in court through prosecution,” he said.

He warned those fanning factionalism saying they will become unpopular. 

“The question is whose faction against whose? I assure you that under the leadership of President Mnangagwa you will be very unpopular to talk about factionalism and you actually isolate yourself. 

“There are people who do not want to be accountable and they would rather hide behind politics instead of clearing themselves from corruption allegations. 

“For people to think that what ZACC is doing is just political gimmick and perhaps they are just doing what the previous commission was doing, they will be fooling themselves. 

“People are going to be arrested if they were involved in corruption, because like the President said he has given ZACC teeth and they have big ones and they are biting so if people think that its politicking then they are misled,” he said.

He urged party members to desist from acquiring wealth through corrupt activities, but stand by the party’s ideology.

“As a party we should be able to say this is right, this is part of our ideology and this is in line with our norms and values and this is wrong, this must be corrected. 

“If you look at these cases, you will find out that these people were engaging in massive corruption. 

“So genuine people will genuinely support President Mnangagwa vision and are seen through their deeds not what they say.

“We must be an example as an organisation. If you look at the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) of Namibia and African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa, if there is anything in the organisation that is linked to corruption or anything that affects their governance, they attend to it including the President for example in the case of former South Africa President Jacob Zuma, he appeared before the commission of inquiry to find out what was happening and that is what a modern organisation should do,” he said.

He hailed the President for remaining steadfast in fighting corruption.