Tsvangirai slams Mujuru

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai said yesterday acting President Joice Mujuru must stop threatening newspapers and nameless detractors for exposing corruption.

Tsvangirai's comments come hard on the heels of Mujuru's shocking remarks, seemingly condoning corruption.

Mujuru made the controversial remarks while addressing the party's Mashonaland West provincial women's conference in Chinhoyi on Saturday.

Mujuru, reportedly leading the stakes to succeed Mugabe, who turns 90 on February 21, said the media must back off the scandal.

"Nyaya idzi hadzitongwe mumanewspaper; inyaya dzinonyatsogadzirwa magadzirirwo adzo," she said adding that the way the scandal is being reported suggested other motives beyond fighting corruption.

"Unozoona mamhanyisirwo adzinoitwa mumapaper wozvibvunza futi kuti haa saka vanotaura kuti inyaya dzekuda kupwanya hurumende nekupwanya musangano weZanu PF zvechokwadi vari pamwe chete nevanhu vari kuita izvi."

So far, the media blitz on corruption, has sucked into its vortex insolvent broadcaster ZBC, Premier Services Medical Aid Society (Psmas), and ailing airliner Air Zimbabwe.

At Psmas, Mugabe's top aide George Charamba, has also been fingered as a recipient of staggering allowances as a board member of the struggling health insurer for government and council workers.

"Now the president's own spokesperson has put his hands in the till and his own deputy, in her capacity as acting president, has threatened newspapers and nameless detractors for exposing corruption", Tsvangirai said.

Mugabe, who returned from Malawi yesterday, has not commented on the issue and only the acting president has given an expectant public a sneak view into the thinking in the highest office in the land, regarding white collar crimes that involve top officials.

Tsvangirai said although Mugabe talked tough on tackling corruption soon after his swearing-in last year, he alleged the veteran Zanu PF leader was not prepared to "walk the talk and the nation should not expect a mosquito to cure malaria."

"There is lethargy on the part of Zanu PF to deal with this scourge because everyone in that party will be in jail if we become serious as a country on graft and unmitigated corruption," Tsvangirai said.

"The president banged the table when this Parliament was opened, mentioned names and threatened action on those who were stealing diamonds but no-one has been arrested."

Mujuru claimed the media expose had deliberately targeted parastatals in a bid to destabilise them because they were seen to be critical to the country's economy and Zanu PF's agenda in government.

She claimed that there was an enemy inside Zanu PF, targeting to destroy the ruling party from within.

With this kind of thinking, Tsvangirai said, it was highly improbable that Zanu PF would act on rampant corruption.

"We cannot expect action from the same party in which ministers and other senior officials claimed they were 100 percent disabled so they could loot the War Victims Compensation Fund (WVCF)," Tsvangirai said.

The WVCF was suspended pending an investigation amid reports high-level government officials and their relatives looted more than Z$112 billion or an equivalent of $450 million.

Tsvangirai said under Mugabe's rule, corruption has become a culture which is difficult to deal with because ministers have perfected the "art of stealing."

Meanwhile, Mujuru who is under fire for condoning corruption, has received the backing of the Apostolic Church.

Although Mujuru publicly shooed the media from covering the riveting stories of obscene salaries that parastatal bosses earn, the ACCZ which heads over 700 churches in the country said it stands by the beleaguered VP.

Calling on the acting President to step down following her comment over corruption is tantamount to a coup said Archbishop Johannes Ndanga referring to the story from yesterday.