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Graft adds 40% to govt overheads

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HIGH-LEVEL corruption is contributing between 30 and 40% of ministries and State enterprises’ overheads, a Zanu PF legislator has claimed.

HIGH-LEVEL corruption is contributing between 30 and 40% of ministries and State enterprises’ overheads, a Zanu PF legislator has claimed.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

This was said by Bikita West MP Munyaradzi Kereke on Thursday while contributing to debate on a motion on the Presidential Speech.

Kereke said corruption had continued to affect the country despite Mugabe’s concerted efforts to end the vice.

“Corruption has almost become like an anthem, and in his speech the President said we should fight corruption,” Kereke said.

“The estimated effects of corruption are between 30% to 40% of cost overheads at ministries and companies.

“You find that equipment that is bought for a ministry and is supposed to cost only $200 000 is invoiced as $1 million.”

The MP also questioned why institutions like the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) that were created to fight corruption were not functional.

KEREKE

“We should fight corruption. We have very robust legislative frameworks that deal with corruption and institutions created by our laws that are also supported by the Constitution to deal with corruption. But, why is it that these institutions are not functioning to fight corruption?” he queried.

Parliament recently conducted interviews for commissioners to fill in vacant posts in ZACC. The commissioners are yet to be sworn in by the President.

Kereke said parliamentary committees should speak with one voice in demanding accountability from public officials.

He said instead of dealing with the pressing issues affecting the economy, Zimbabweans were busy electioneering.

“We emerged from the elections in 2013, and 2018 is still far in the horizon.

“However, it is a sad reality that there is growing institutional sterility due to political fights, where institutions delay in implementing things depending on which faction the chief executive officer belongs to.

“We should align the political calendar in its perspective and not be in constant political fighting,” Kereke said.

He said there was need for urgent policy decisions to close the gaps that led to haemorrhaging of the economy through what he called “opaque procurement systems”.