LOCAL anti-corruption advocacy group Transparency International Zimbabwe (TI-Z) has hailed President Robert Mugabe’s recent “bold” statements against corruption in the diamond mining sector, adding that the exposé should also be extended to other government departments.
REPORT BY OBEY MANAYITI
Mugabe last week singled out former Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation board chair Godwills Masimirembwa accusing him of demanding a $6 million bribe from Ghanaian diamond investors.
TI-Z executive director Mary-Jane Mutasa told NewsDay on Saturday that Mugabe’s threat to expose corrupt officials in the public and private sectors had set the tone for an administration committed to good governance.
“I think this is a very welcome and bold step by the President. The fact that the message is coming directly from the President and with specific offices and individuals named, signals that the new government is taking a new approach on corruption,” she said.
“The most important thing is to see the law enforcement agents, police and the courts, being given all the power to fully investigate the issue so that it sets a precedent to be followed with similar message.
“The second message is that the President is saying to the leaders of parastatals that there are no sacred cows. Anyone found guilty will be prosecuted,” said Mutasa.
She cited the mining, public health, non-governmental organisations and the State Procurement Board as some of the worst corrupt sectors and bodies.
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“What needs to be done is the development of a national anti-corruption strategy. At the moment we have an ad hoc approach to deal with corruption. The Anti-Corruption Commission has no control over what is happening in different ministries and parastatals.”
