Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has in the past few weeks been portrayed as a reformer-in-chief, who will not brook any corruption.
Comment: NewsDay Editor
This reached its zenith last week when he said it was not government policy for anyone accused of corruption to be protected by the authorities.
However, reports in our sister paper, The Standard, show a different Mnangagwa, who reportedly went to the director of public prosecutions, Florence Ziyambi and ordered her to drop charges against embattled Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana.
In spite of Ziyambi being conflicted because she is a witness in the case and the procedures for dropping the case could have compromised her integrity, correspondence seen by our sister paper says Mnanagagwa insisted she drops the charges.
We will not pronounce a guilty verdict on Tomana, but the charges against him are so clear that the even the Judicial Services Commission decided to investigate his conduct.
Tomana received a tongue-lashing from a High Court judge over the manner in which he handled former Zupco board member, Charles Nherera’s case, where conflict of interest was obvious.
The Prosecutor-General also dropped charges against former legislator, Bright Matonga in the most curious of ways. There are so many cases against Tomana and Transparency International Zimbabwe has produced a voluminous dossier about his infringements.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
It is in this regard that the Tomana case is of public interest and how the State handles is it is instructive of how other similar cases will be dealt with.
Thus, it comes as a surprise that Mnangagwa ordered that charges against Tomana be dropped just like that, without as much as an explanation.
The Vice-President should be in a position to explain to the nation whose interests would have been served had the charges against Tomana been dropped, because it seems the interests of justice were taking a back-burner, with political expedience reigning supreme.
Failure to explain or deny the allegations will mean Mnangagwa says one thing and does another depending on the audience and the interests at play.
Corruption is a cancer that is increasingly gnawing away at the heart of this country and those that hold the reins of justice have a moral duty to ensure that everything is done to stop this vice.
Tomana, as Prosecutor-General, and Mnangagwa, who is in charge of Justice ministry, must be seen as upright citizens, who uphold the rule of law and implement justice without fear or favour.
It is in this regard that Tomana is damaged goods until he is cleared by the courts and Mnangagwa should not be seen trying to have him cleared without due process, whatever the circumstances.
