Minister, government official face jail, says Mugabe

PRESIDENT Mugabe has warned corrupt ministers and senior Government officials that they face arrest if they are found to be abusing funds or their positions in Government. The President said anyone with a job involving finances must be absolutely honest and avoid any corrupt activities. He was speaking yesterday at the 21st February Movement celebrations in the resort town of Victoria Falls.

President Mugabe said the youths had now been given the onus of overseeing the use of the country's resources and ensure that they exposed and helped weed out any corrupt officials.

"We have a problem these days where some ministers, when potential investors approach them with an interest of investing in our nation they tell them that for them to organise a meeting with the President there is money required for the party, this clearly putting the name of the party into disrepute.

"Some of them also say if the project is to be discussed seriously there is a certain amount of money that is required, some even go to certain companies and demand that they be paid off so that the company remains 'protected', this is a fact, you all know them, expose them, the youth are supposed to expose these people, this is clearly being patriotic," said the President.

He went on to blast senior officials in the Ministry of Finance who he said had recently misdirected money that was meant to be channelled to the agricultural sector and tried to distribute the money among themselves to companies where they were directors.

"Minister Chinamasa struggles to look for money, just recently he found $10 million meant to be channelled into the agriculture sector. The officials then go ahead to abuse this money, they forward their own companies where they are directors and that person is a director in the ministry.

"Honestly now who do we put in key leadership positions, if you are an accountant you are not taught those skills to go steal, if you are a liar then you are anti-revolutionary, you are not a people leader, what people are we as after being given jobs we then look for chances of cheating, you must be absolutely honest," said President Mugabe.

He said the party would soon be descending on the people who had abused money that was meant for both the Zanu-PF youth and national congresses, saying that if these people were found to be in the wrong they faced long jail terms.

"We are today saying Gamatox wanted to overthrow the Government, you remember that during the youth congress they had not prepared for it, they had no food but yet we discover that there was a lot of money that had been raised for that congress.

"If we discover that actually that money was misused these people will surely die in jail, you cannot be cheating and cheating even at the highest level in the Politburo, where you will be busy abusing funds and stealing money to increase your own assumed power," said the President to cheers and applause from the packed venue.

He said during the run up to the Zanu-PF Congress last year when it seemed there was no money to hold it, he had at one point approached the then Secretary for Administration, Mr Didymus Mutasa, to inquire on how the money was being distributed but was surprised when the now dismissed party official professed ignorance.

Meanwhile, the President revealed that soon the land distribution programme would be targeting safaris most of which were still in the hands of whites in the country.

He said while the country had fought and gained political independence the time had come for Zimbabweans to fully own their land.

"In this region our country has the most safaris but most of these are still white owned, all that these owners know is to kill our lions and take the trophies to Europe. We fought and attained political independence in 1980 now it is time for you and me to become owners.

"We are owners of the land but not the total of the land, we do not own our very animals the time has come for us to take over these safaris," said President Mugabe.

He said the Government would soon be revising farm sizes noting that some people were not fully utilising the farms given to them.

"People wanted big farms, if someone got 100 hectares they think it's a small farm, which is not true 100 hectares if put to good use is a huge portion, honestly some of these farms are not being put to full use.

"We will soon be revising the farm sizes because we need land those who don't have land and our future generations, the future generation being the immediate ones who are growing as teenagers and will be adults soon, Africa's population has been defined as a youthful one and the scenario in our country testifies to that," said the President.

President Mugabe turned 91 last Saturday and yesterday's celebrations were held as part of the 21st February Movement Celebrations, with the thousands of people thronging the Elephant Hills Hotel golf course to witness the celebrations.

This year's celebrations were going under the theme; Celebrating the birth of Gushungo, the Icon of Zimbabwe's revolution and Champion of youth empowerment.