Corruption is posing a growing threat to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision for Zimbabwe to be an upper middle-income economy by end of the decade.
Despite a much-hyped anti-corruption drive, several economic and social analysts say although they are willing to play their part in fixing the economy, ‘’government should come down hard on corruption’’.
Business analyst and social commentators told The Afronews in email responses that government needs to seriously deal with this cancer if its policies are to achieve expected results – otherwise the vision is dead in the water.
Instead, they allege, what they get the from responsible arms of the administration is apparent lack of political will to bite the bullet and go for the big guns named in various economic crimes and abuse of office.
Not only that but ‘’we get often contradictory statements that create a critical bit of uncertainty that deters investments’’ and damaging insinuations that the private sector is not pulling its weight all around.
Edward Graham Cross (Eddie), retired businessman and former Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South, who is now into consultancy, says ‘‘there is no doubt in my mind the administration of ED (President Mnangagwa), has made very substantial progress since 2018.
But there is no doubt in hiding Cross’s frustration with government’s ‘‘inability to get to grips with corruption’’.
‘’It is clear that we need to get to grips with corruption,’’ he told this publication in respect to specific areas government is falling short and what role business should play.
According to the former legislator, who is part of the central Reserve Bank’s Advisory Committee, the country ranks poorly when it comes to corruption.
‘‘Transparency International estimates we have lost US$100 billion in the last 40 years due to corruption . . . and I do not think that is an overestimate,’’ he says.
‘‘We need to punish those found guilty of corruption very severely and confiscate the assets that were created by corrupt activity!’’
What has got the former opposition’s MP’s goat is the very slow pace of prosecution of and failure to nail convictions.
Cross’s voice is not the only one.
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd), whose main mandate the judicious public resource management and governance, have added their voice to the call for effective curbing of this primitive acquisition pandemic.
‘‘They (government) came into office on an anti-corruption mantra’’ but why they are not acting decisively only they can answer,’’ says a spokesman at the research body.
‘’The government is not seriously investigating corruption cases as it promised the citizens,’’ the spokesperson alleges, reeling off a number of cases that are still to be finalised or have fallen off radar.
Prisca Mupfumira, a former minister alleged to have siphoned more than US$95million of pension funds from the National Social Security Authority; Saviour Kasukuwere, Super Mandiwanzira, Henrietta Rushwaya and several other whose cases are now almostyt forgotten.
There is no prioritisation of implementation of the Auditor-General’s recommendations by the administration, notes Zimcodd adding: ‘‘These recommendations are key in strengthening public finance management systems to curb corruption.
The catch-and-release syndrome seen during the Mugabe regime continues to hound the Second Republic.’’
Opposition MP for Dzivarasekwa, Edwin Mushoriwa concurs saying the administration’s major challenge in attaining its objectives are failure to fight and reduce corruption ‘‘due to inconsistent policies and failure to carry out proper social impact assessments that have led to deepening of poverty level.’’
‘‘There’s need to come up with predictable economic policies that fight and reduce suffering of the common people,’’ has says, giving government a rating of 3 out 10.
But, according Agnes Magunje, projects manager at the Zimbabwe Informal Traders Council, although ED’s administration has been making positive changes infrastructure-wise, it has failed on the corruption front.
‘‘Corruption and rent-seeking behaviour,’’ she stresses, has been of major concern and needs to be addressed and those found guilty should not be spared because of who they know!’’
This is a sentiment shared by Donald MacDonald, a financial and investment advisor at Global Wealth Solutions who helps shepherd foreign investment.
‘Government should sort out the politics and kick-back environment, and bring confidence back into the economy and must lead by example if things are to move forward,’’ he says.
‘‘There is still too much red-tape and ‘fingers in the pot’ ‘‘ he says the internationally respected economic analyst, explaining that the perception of corruption on the part of potential foreign funders and the fear any investment will be locked in has torpedoed the President’s call that ‘‘Zimbabwe is open for business’’.
While most economic commentators agree government has fallen short on dealing with corruption, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Constitutionally mandated to fight and curb corruption, deny they are failing.
John Makamure, chairman at ZACC, says they have come a long way and people are beginning to see the results of their work.
‘‘We are now more visible to the public and we have crafted the National Anti-Corruption Strategy which complies with international standards,’’ he quickly points out, underlining how quickly Zimbabwe is transforming.
Another commissioner Jessie Fungayi Majome, says the public is correct to expect and demand more . . . but agrees with her chairman on public awareness and education.
‘‘In terms of our Constitution, ‘everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty’,’’ she says, explaining: ‘‘It will be anarchy if everyone arrested is presumed guilty!
‘‘Everyone has a right to their liberty through bail.’ The former MP and justice and parliamentary affair deputy minister went on to emphasise that ZACC has had more convictions than acquittals – 59% against 41 %!
And only recently ED – who never tires of reminding those in government to stay away from corrupt activities, was at it again – firing party cadres in internal party corruption: “No no sacred cows in our party.”
Good intentions but whether this will translate into action is anyone’s guess.
Only time will tell.
By Patrick Musira
