THE African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption (Apnac) Zimbabwe chapter yesterday described President Robert Mugabe’s move to re-assign Mines ministry secretary Francis Gudyanga to another portfolio as a slap in the face for Parliament.
by VENERANDA LANGA
The august House had recommended that Gudyanga be fired from the civil service.
Apnac chairperson, James Maridadi said Mugabe’s decision to move Gudyanga from the Mines and Energy ministry to the Higher Education ministry after Parliament had recommended he be fired for corruption, was gross disrespect for MPs’ recommendations.
“Government has lost a perfect opportunity to show the world that they do not condone corruption, and this reshuffle was a perfect chance for Mugabe to then fire Gudyanga and show the world that government does not give refuge to persons that pillage state coffers,” Maridadi said.
“This reshuffle is actually a slap in the face for Parliament because the Higher Education ministry, where Gudyanga has been placed, has corruption issues that have not yet been cleared pertaining to Zimdef funds, and if you put a thief there, it is like you are putting a hyena to guard goats or chickens.”
The Mines and Energy Portfolio Committee recently recommended that Gudyanga be fired within a month for his role in abusing the country’s mineral resources and aiding illicit financial outflows.
The committee recommended that the Civil Service Commission must recall Gudyanga for his role in allegedly abusing the country’s mineral resources and aiding illicit financial flows within a month of tabling its report, but Mugabe decided to reassign him to another ministry instead.
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“The Civil Service Commission should recall the secretary of Mines, Gudyanga in line with section 205 of the Constitution. The grounds for dismissal include his role in aiding illicit financial outflows, poor corporate governance and at times his position has been conflicted,” read Parliament’s recommendations.
The recommendations were in the Mines Portfolio Committee’s first report on the consolidation of diamond companies, which was issued in the National Assembly.
In addition to Gudyanga’s woes, the Mines Portfolio Committee also said they would seek to charge Gudyanga with contempt of Parliament for refusing to submit a polygraph test results of Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company managers when the committee requested them to be provided to Parliament.
