HARARE - The media has been challenged to probe and expose people responsible for the budget used in Zimbabwes 1998 to 2000 military intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo.The cost of the action is believed to have contributed to Zimbabwes $5bn-plus debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. University of Zimbabwe economist Professor Lloyd Sachikonye told journalists at a training workshop, organised by Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, that the media should investigate how much the government spent on its DRC campaign.
Corruption, patronage and political immorality should not be ignored when we want to understand how Zimbabwe has accrued over $5bn in debt. The media should investigate and bring those responsible for the formulation and implementation of the debts through bringing out how the debt was used, he said. Given the deterioration of social services like schools and hospital, one wonders what the funds were used for and who benefited from it. To our surprise, the records of how the funds were used for have never been publicised and yet the government purports that they borrowed the funds for the public.
Sachikonye said the government should engage the international money-lending institutions and lobby for the cancellation of the debts.