The regional anti-corruption watchdog has released a damning report titled, “Corruption Cases: Lest We Forget: Bad Leadership Examples for Accountability, Transparency and Integrity in Zimbabwe”, which detailed deep-rooted corruption in government, some dating back to the “Willowgate scandal” of the 1980s.
The report paints a bad picture of the post-independence era, which it said has been characterized by a political leadership that has consistently failed to provide a good example of accountability, transparency and integrity.
President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace, Vice President Joice Mujuru, Ministers Joseph Made, Francis Nhema and Obert Mpofu and other officials were implicated in the graft.
“The leadership itself has since the 1980s engaged in acts of corruption and also condoned such acts on the part of their associates, relatives and friends. This has frustrated efforts towards building a corruption-free Zimbabwe,” says the report.
Classic examples of corruption mentioned as having tainted the Zimbabwean leadership include diamond scandals, the looting of the War Victims Compensation Fund, the VIP Housing Scam, the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company scandal, the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company scandal, the Kondozi Estate looting, Willowgate, the Fertiliser scandal, the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe scandal, and the Harare Airport Extension scandal.
“Regardless of the abundance of evidence and the implications of development, the culprits not only seem to have been forgotten or condoned, but also rewarded in one way or the other. There is no doubt that the failure to investigate and prosecute culprits worsens the scourge of corruption. The impact is even greater when the culprits are part of the leadership who are expected to be exemplary. The above cases speak volumes about the depth of corruption in Zimbabwe and a lack of political will to confront the scourge head-on.”
The organisation called for self-introspection in the implicated individuals and recommended that they opt out of future elections until they are cleared of any wrong doing. Government was advised to develop and endorse a zero tolerance policy on corruption, open up and restart investigating all cases that took place, ensure that law enforcement agencies operate impartially without favouring any specific group of people, ensure that public leaders declare their assets and liabilities before taking office, dismiss ministers and senior government officials implicated in corruption and recover all looted resources.
ACT-Southern Africa also recommended that other institutions blacklist and sideline corrupt leaders and their companies from business opportunities and employment at all tiers of government, identify assets acquired by implicated individuals through looted resources and make legal efforts to recover them.
ACTSA alleged that the following were implicated in corrupt deals: President Robert Mugabe – Airport; Joyce Mujuru – ZISCO , War Victims Compensation Fund, Grace Mugabe – VIP Housing, Diamonds; Joseph Made – Kondozi, Fertiliser, Mike Nyambuya – NOCZIM, Kondozi , Francis Nhema – Asitroc Investment (Pvt) Ltd; Simbarashe Mumbengegwi – ZISCO ; Stan Mudenge – VIP Housing , ZISCO; Obert Mpofu – ZISCO / Marange/Chiadzwa Diamonds; Patrick Chinamasa – Interference with the Judiciary, ZISCO ; Ignatius Chombo – CDF , ZUPCO; Didymus Mutasa – Kondozi ; Olivia Muchena – ZISCO; Sithembiso Nyoni – ZISCO ; Christopher Mushowe – Kondozi ,University of Zimbabwe; Oppah Muchinguri – NOCZIM ,VIP Housing; Phillip Chiyangwa – NOCZIM, Kumbirai Kangai, GMB.
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