'Blacklist firms engaged in corruption'

GOVERNMENT has been urged to blacklist companies engaging in corrupt activities as part of its drive to fight graft.

Industrialist, Mr Busisa Moyo, said corruption discourages fair competition in business. Speaking at the belated commemorations of the Anti-Corruption Day and opening of the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (Zacc) offices in Bulawayo on Monday, Mr Moyo, who was representing the business sector, said stern measures must be taken against corrupt companies.

"Besides condemning corruption publicly as we are doing today, we want to continue to isolate companies in the private sector that are engaged in blatantly corrupt activities. We have to blacklist, in some cases parties or players who want to continue with blatant corruption and prevent them from being connected because now a person continues to be corrupt, wears the label, but continues to make money," said Mr Moyo who is the United Refineries chief executive officer.

"We must ostracize, isolate those private sector players that are engaged in continual perennial corrupt activities so that we can create a clean private sector and a clean society."

He said it was unfortunate that some corporates that engage in corrupt practices have monopolistic positions in industry.

"We must create balanced competitive sectors in every sector so that the country is not dependent on one large player who continues to perpetuate corrupt practices.

"I urge Government to ensure that sectors are competitive enough and have enough players so that we don't depend on one player in that sector who continues to be corrupt such that if they are brought to book the nation or the country or consumers fear the absence of that player," Mr Moyo said.

He said corruption was rampant both in the private and public sectors such that it had developed into a culture.

"We are against corruption because corruption destroys the fabric of business. For us in industry it is a big issue because it discourages fair competition, it undermines merit. It's not your best companies that show up as the largest, it's not your most efficient companies that show up as the most prosperous. It is unfortunately those that are most corrupt, those that are willing to bend the rules and hope not to be found out," Mr Moyo said. He said corruption affects everyone hence all have a part to play in eradicating it.

"So we need to understand when we say we are against corruption, we need to push back wide and push back strong so that those of us who do not want to participate in corrupt practices remain free from the pressures of corruption because colleagues will come here in suits and talk about others as if corruption resides out there . Corruption resides in the heart, it lives in the heart of a man and woman," Mr Moyo said.

"For every corrupt person, there is a corrupter and corruptee, there is a briber and a bribed, not sure if its correct English but I think you get the point that for every corrupt person there is a counterpart and that counterpart usually resides in the private sector."

The Anti-corruption day is commemorated on December 9 annually by United Nations member states.

The belated commemorations in Bulawayo coincided with the opening of Zacc Bulawayo offices at Mhlahlandlela Government complex as well as the launch of a client service charter by the anti-graft commission.