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NewsDay

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Let Zacc probe Kasukuwere without fear or favour

Opinion & Analysis
However, we believe Zacc should not be used for political expediency neither should the State organ be used for political gamesmanship especially in the Zanu PF succession matrix.

Reports that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has set its eyes on Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere with a view to excavating his alleged past murky indigenisation deals are a welcome move as a way of promoting transparency in local governance.

NEWSDAY COMMENT

However, we believe Zacc should not be used for political expediency neither should the State organ be used for political gamesmanship especially in the Zanu PF succession matrix. Its role should remain that of sniffing out corruption as spelt out by the Act.

It is no secret that the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board is alleged to have been involved in gross mismanagement of funds held under the National Youth Fund and Community Share Ownership Trust schemes.

Our hope is that Zacc should be allowed to do its job diligently without fear or favour. There should be no room to use tribalism to repel arrest warrants or reported political victimisation by the suspects. Thus the Zacc operations should be above board, above reproach in that regard.

On the other hand, regardless of position, once a Cabinet minister or any top government official is accused of financial impropriety they become suspects and therefore should be treated as such until proven guilty by a court of law.

In that sense, we believe Zacc deserves to be given more teeth to discharge its duties well. They need arresting powers and independence to reduce abuse of power by politicians.

By the way, its duties must cut across the divide and treatment should be the same. Cabinet ministers must learn to be transparent and that is why we will commend Kasukuwere’s position that he is free to answer any allegations levelled against him by Zacc or anybody else. Others must emulate the minister for showing the way.

This is so because it has become the norm that when bodies like Zacc seek to do their work as per their mandate, there is often political interference and spanners are thrown into the works, stalling progress.

While this has been the culture in 2016 and previous years, one can only hope that 2017 will usher in a new culture and work ethic. If we allow the culture of the previous years to continue, then we might as well disband Zacc and stop talking about corruption because talk with no action is cheap.

Zimbabweans are tired over the persistent culture of corruption which has become so virulent that even someone desperate to cash out money through mobile money transfer is expected to pay at least $2 in kickbacks. Ordinary people always laugh off government’s efforts to curb corruption because history has shown that while there is vigour at the beginning, the steam will run out midway as “fat cats” squeeze past the jaws of the law “scot-free”. Government is populated with individuals with soiled track records when it comes to corruption but over the years, they have been moved from one ministry to another and kept away from the reach of the law in a “business-as-usual” approach. That way the cancer continues to tear apart the country’s moral and economic fabric.

Several top government officials have been accused of corruption, but very few, if any, have been successfully prosecuted.

It is our hope that this “merry-go-round” will not continue in 2017. Zimbabweans demand pragmatic decisions going forward.