Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
Mines and Energy parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson and Norton MP Temba Mliswa said Presidential spokesperson George Charamba should shut up on the missing US$15 billion and let Parliament do its work.
Former President Robert Mugabe revealed that Zimbabwe had lost about US$15 billion worth of diamond revenue due to illicit dealings but no report was ever done on the matter.
Parliament intends to summon all the people who were directly and indirectly involved including former President Robert Mugabe to give evidence on the missing diamond revenue or to clarify the origin of the US$15 billion figure.
However, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information George Charamba recently said the former President was joking and that there was no missing US$15 billion.
Speaking during ZiFM radio program #ThePlatform, Mliswa said George Charamba must understand that he is just a Presidential spokesperson and that Parliament doesn’t report to him.
“We have to be clear, Parliament is not perturbed by what George Charamba says, we don’t report to George Charamba, he is Presidential spokesperson, and Parliament has a duty to call anyone before them.
“So while George Charamba is Presidential spokesperson former and current and says this was a figurative speech by the former President said jokingly, but there was never a time when he came back also to address people and say sorry this wasn’t a real figure, the president said it jokingly.
“But he says that after the former President is no longer in office, so we won’t take what he says to be what it is, so we have to follow due process and this is what is critical for everyone to understand,” he said.
Mliswa added that the new dispensation was very clear on zero tolerance to corruption unlike the old administration which only spoke about it.
The Norton legislator said current dispensation was different in that it allows Parliament as an institution to do its work in dealing with corruption in the country once and for all.
President Mnangagwa has been clear from his inaugural speech that corruption would not be tolerated in the country and that there will be no scared cows.
To date he has given a three months moratorium for all those who externalized resources to bring them back or face consequences.
Mnangagwa has since given government officials up to February 28 to declare their assets.
Post published in: Business