He was speaking at a discussion forum on public accountability and corruption at the Quill Club in Harare that was organised by the newly-formed Coalition against Corruption, a non-governmental organisation.
The MKD President described corruption in Zimbabwe as endemic, saying it pervaded political, economic, social and religious spheres and also affected the private sector.
The former Finance Minister, who was also a senior Zanu (PF) member before breaking away to form MKD in early 2008, said corrupt tendencies started manifesting themselves immediately after independence.
He cited the Willowgate scandal in which government officials in the 1990s resold the cars they had received at inflated prices.
He expressed concern at the manner in which President Robert Mugabe then reacted to the scandal, saying that he dismissed it as a small issue.
“I asked Mugabe what he was going to do about the Willowgate scandal and he just answered: ‘What is this fuss all about? They are only selling cars’. As the saying goes, a fish rots from its head and there is no political will to fight corruption” he said.
He described the Anti-Corruption Commission as ineffective, saying it was meant to window-dress as it was not allocated adequate funds to perform its duties.
Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana, another panelist, said many people were afraid of the ACC. He headed the commission at its formation.
“People are so afraid of the commission, and that includes those that created it. They are not sure what kind of animal it is and what it will do to them,” said Mangwana.
Willias Madzimure, an MDC-T MP and Chairperson of African Parliamentarians against Corruption, said most politicians were reluctant to declare their assets because they acquired them corruptly.
Madzimure is among a few MDC-T members who have declared their assets at party level.
He claimed that he turned down a RBZ shady offer of cars because “we cannot accept a free lunch in a sea of poverty” during the central bank’s quasi-fiscal era.
Post published in: News