MDC to Probe Corrupt Ministers.
THE MDC-T has set up a 13-member team to probe at least three ministers and
several legislators and councillors on corruption charges.
The party, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, says those implicated in
underhand dealings would be dismissed.
The team, led by the party’s deputy secretary-general Tapiwa Mashakada, will
carry out investigations into all MDC-T-led councils and has since opened
investigations into the goings-on at Bindura council, which is already under
probe by a team set up by acting Local Government minister Webster Shamu.
The MDC-T probe team comprises mainly members of the party’s committee on
local government, who include its chair, Local Government deputy minister
Sessel Zvidzai, Last Maengahama, Kadoma Central MP Editor Matamisa and
Chimanimani West MP Lynette Karenyi.
Sources in the party revealed that at least three ministers (names supplied)
would be investigated for various corruption charges, including flouting of
government tender procedures, seeking bribes for tender awards and conniving
with their Zanu PF counterparts for self-enrichment.
The party has come up with a code of conduct which is soon to be taken to
the national executive committee and then national council for approval. The
code will require MDC-T ministers, legislators and councillors to declare
their interests and assets in line with modern trends to ensure that there
is accountability and transparency.
MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa confirmed that some ministers, councillors
and legislators were under investigation for engaging in corrupt activities.
He, however, refused to disclose the names of the people under probe, but
said there would not be any sacred cows to demonstrate the party’s zero
tolerance of corruption.
Chamisa told the Zimbabwe Independent this week that anyone found to be
corrupt would face automatic dismissal from the party.
“We are a party of excellence. Transparency, accountability and good
governance are part of our fabric,” he said. “We expect these from our Prime
Minister, from our ministers and from, most importantly, our councils. If
anyone negates these principles, then we will be destroying the very fabric
of the MDC. We should be the opposite of Zanu PF.”
Chamisa said the party’s biggest challenge at the moment was to deal with
corruption and plans were underway to weed out those people involved in any
corrupt activity, irrespective of their position in the party.
“Unfortunately others are now falling for this culture of corruption. Our
crusade to get rid of bad apples is unstoppable. There will be no sacred
cows – this goes for ministers, MPs, councillors. Zero tolerance on
corruption is not for convenience but is our conviction,” he said.
Chamisa said cases of corruption in the MDC that have been exposed so far
should not be seen as a sign of weakness because the party was dealing
decisively with such cases and would not allow vice to flourish as Zanu PF
did.
“A lot of our councillors have breached the citizen’s charter and flouted
tender procedures. As a party we need to nip this corruption demon. Our
councillors have been emulating and imitating the Zanu PF model of a
councillor.
“With the Chitungwiza case, we were late in dealing with that matter. Now we
are going to be more proactive. We have set up a committee led by Mashakada,
which is going to go to all provinces and all councils,” said Chamisa.
Former Chitungwiza mayor Israel Marange was dismissed and councillor
Rangarirai Mutingwende suspended from the party over allegations of
corruption and more councillors were likely to face the axe as fresh
investigations to unearth more cases of corruption were underway in
Chitungwiza.
Meanwhile, the Mashakada-led team went to Bindura yesterday to carry out
investigations on the allegations of mismanagement of council affairs and
continued deterioration of services in the town.
Of the seven allegations levelled by Shamu against the council, the team
found that there might be one case involving stands that needed further
probing.
Mashakada said all except one of the 12 councillors had at least two stands
each, one residential and one industrial, which they allocated themselves.
One councillor had four stands, three of which he claimed he already had
when he became a councillor in August 2008.
Mashakada said they would continue to look into this issue to verify his
claims.
“We have made it clear to them that if any one of them gets more stands they
will be dismissed from the party. With the one councillor, we are gong to
carry out further investigations to verify the authenticity of his claims.
We will not leave any stone unturned,” he said.
Mashakada said the previous Zanu PF council led by Mayor Martin Dinha had
passed a council resolution that each councillor should have five stands.
He was, however, quick to say MDC-T welcomed genuine probes on corruption,
which are done professionally and are not politically motivated.
“The Bindura probe by Shamu smacks of political interference using the probe
as a veil to much deeper political interests in the affairs of Bindura,”
Mashakada said.
After their investigations, he dismissed the other allegations, including
the recruitment of 56 security officers which was necessary to protect
council property; mismanagement of council affairs, whose accounts were last
audited in 2005; and the abuse of public funds, whose revenue could not meet
the salary bill.
Mashakada said there was no basis for the accusations leveled at the
16-month-old council, which has done more in the last 16 months than ever
done by the past Zanu PF-led councils.
The council has bought two ambulances, several cars and sourced drugs for
the council health institutions.
The last council led by Zanu PF, Mashakada said, had auctioned all vehicles
and there was no ambulance in the town.
The team will be visiting Chegutu municipality today, where MDC councillors
are alleged to have abused council funds for personal use at the expense of
service delivery to residents and taxpayers.
Tsvangirai in December told councillors to shun corruption, saying that his
party would not hesitate to weed out those involved.
Meanwhile, MDC-T has suspended its UK branch executive for allegedly
defrauding the party of over 57 000 pounds.
This is the second time the party has sacked the UK executive after another
was suspended in October 2007 on charges of misusing party funds.
The UK branch was the second largest to be closed after the South African
executive was relieved of its duties for failing to account for donated
funds.
Faith Zaba
Click here or ALT-T to return to TOP
Retired General Resists High Court Eviction Order
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
Thursday, 07 January 2010 19:56
ZIMBABWE’S ambassador to Tanzania, Edzai Chimonyo, has been ordered by the
High Court to vacate a banana plantation which he occupied over the festive
season in Manicaland, but the retired army general has stayed put on the
farm.
The property, Fangundu Farm, in Burma Valley, south-east of Mutare, is owned
by a Dutch and Malaysian company and is protected by a Bilateral Investment
Promotion and Protection Agreement (Bippa).
Chimonyo has reportedly ordered armed soldiers onto the property and has
proceeded to harvest bananas in spite of Tuesday’s High Court order.
Justice Tedius Karwi presided over the matter and ordered Chimonyo to
immediately vacate the plantation saying his occupation was illegal.
The judge ruled: “That it be and is hereby declared that all plantation
crops, infrastructure and all movable property belonging to the applicants
on Fangundu are not subject to the appropriation, holding and use by the
respondent (Chimonyo) or any other people acting through or in association
with him.”
Workers at Fangundu Farm told the Zimbabwe Independent yesterday that
individuals believed to be soldiers from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA)
were still camped at the banana plantation.
An official from the Ministry of Lands in Mutare said the invasion of
Fangundu Farm was unlikely to be reversed despite the court ruling.
“That ruling is just a piece of paper,” said the official. “Almost every new
farmer in that area has been served with court orders so there is nothing
that Chimonyo can be afraid of.”
Chimonyo, a retired major-general in the ZNA, occupied Fangundu Farm on
December 18. He entered the farm brandishing an offer letter allegedly
issued to him in 2006 by Didymus Mutasa, then Lands minister.
Government sources said when he occupied the land he was in the company of
senior lands officials from Mutare.
The farm is owned by a Dutch and Malaysian investment firm, Property Route
Toute BV. Property Route Toute BV is a company registered in The
Netherlands, approved and recognised as an investor in Zimbabwe through the
Zimbabwe Investment Centre Act.
Property Route Toute BV owns commercial farming entity Matanuska (Pvt) Ltd,
a major banana producing and processing concern with a massive processing
and packing plant on Fangundu Farm in Burma Valley.
The occupation of Fangundu Farm could have far-reaching consequences for
Zimbabwe’s quest to attract direct foreign investment.
Posted by Sakhile Malaba
on January 8, 2010. Filed under Main Headline.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Socialize
Recent Comments