The Media should expose corruption even in the private sector

The media, which has taken a major role in exposing corruption in the parastatals, should be applauded for the job well done. However the media seem to have concentrated more on exposing corruption in parastatals and failing to unearth corruption in the private sector, or it is a means by the media to leave this sector for another installation in future. As such this one may remain as a food for thought.

Reading news articles that categorically revealed that a lot of top management in the parastatals was awarding themselves obscene salaries coupled with unrealistic allowances at the time when the country is not economically performing beyond expectations was a big surprise to an ordinary Zimbabwean who is failing to make ends meet. It was also a big surprise to a Zimbabwean who is grappling with the reality of failing to take his children to better schools which are offering top class education with modern learning facilities. It was really a big surprise for an ordinary Zimbabwean who had also been made to believe that only, sanctions not corruption, was the nemesis to the economic revival in the country

It is disheartening and disappointing to find out that those entrusted with the responsibilities to serve the nation fatten their wallets when other people are suffering in the country. Anyway, this is not where this story is all about as the fact of the matter is that the issue of corruption should be looked at from all sectors of the economy. The media which has of late exposed corruption in the public institutions should be applauded and any voice trying to downplay this role of the media could somehow be misinformed. However the media should focus its attention also on the private sector and influential people in society. A lot of corrupt activities have been orally said even in beer halls, community gatherings and churches as well as everywhere where people converge. The media, as a tool of information dissemination should let an ordinary person know all such issues.

Close analysis of what is happening in the country would show that there are a lot of shoddy deals taking place in the private sector and the media seem to have failed to dwell more on this sector. People will get to know more corrupt activities being unearthed by the media in the private sector. While there is no intention by this article to denounce what the media is doing on its excellent job of exposing corruption in state-owned institutions, the article intends to encourage the media to also focus more on this seemed-like-scared field of the private sector.

As the media is working flat out to expose shoddy deals in the parastatals, the public also wants to know what is taking place in the telecommunication companies, meat processing companies like Colcom as well as some other companies like Dairy Board Zimbabwe. A lot of companies in the country are failing to award their workers reasonable salaries but the top management could be racking salaries which, if compared with what has been reported on the parastatals could seem to be like a joke. Other people may argue that with private institutions, they are doing that because they are not under government control but the truth of the matter is that if they can handsomely pay their workers salaries commensurate with what the top management is getting, then the government could also benefit through Pay As You Earn deductions, hence, supporting the government in its economic revival initiatives.
Corruption is also taking place in the education sector. What is happening in the education sector is destroying the spirit of President Robert Gabriel Mugabe who made it necessary for education to be accessible to every child in the country. The President, having come up with a Fort Hare University scholarship scheme, which now boost of added universities scattered in South Africa, meant for the less privileged students was meant for poor Zimbabwean students to follow his footprints academically.

Unfortunately the scheme it is now for those with fat pockets. Those less privileged students are now failing to get opportunities to go and study at Fort Hare, where our President was educated, and some of the universities in South Africa. The scheme is now for some top government officials and influential people in society, yet these are the people who should lead by example. Some of them are not even ashamed to throw state of the art celebration parties for their children who would have graduated from such universities which the President Mugabe wished and wanted children from disadvantaged backgrounds to be enrolled there. Such corrupt activities by such influential people in society must be exposed by the media and people should not rush into denouncing the media if such issues are exposed.
 When these students are leaving the country for South Africa, one can be surprised to see state of the art vehicles coming to drop these students. You cannot believe that the scheme is meant to benefit children from the least disadvantaged backgrounds but the true picture on the ground is that influential people like cabinet ministers, church reverends and chiefs just to mention a few examples, are beneficiaries of this scheme. How can someone who affords to buy a Prado, Jeep Cherokee, Mercedes Benz and all those executive cars you may think of, be allowed to have his/her child be enrolled in those universities when children from disadvantaged backgrounds are turned away. It is wrong for such people to keep on doing that yet our President came up with this scheme to benefit the have-nots and not the bourgeoisie of this world. So the media should shame them all.

Corruption has become the order of the day even in situations where there is no need for it. Can you imagine a student at the highest institution of learning partying away with his/her meager earnings just to see him/her passing examinations? Some of these students go on to use their financial muscles in using other bright students to write assignments for them. It is surprising to note that the media has not gone deeper into trying to unearth some of these corrupt activities taking place at our universities. Female students go on to sell their bodies as a means to get favourable marks from lecturers. In most cases lectures are given money or even clothing so that they make sure that such students won't fail.

In such situations, such activities are treated like extra lessons but those unfortunate students who fail to raise money for the so called extra lessons are made to pay heavily as they are made to repeat courses. Such issues are so serious at universities and colleges to the extent that the education system end up producing graduates who fail to exhibit their qualification prowers at work. As such education has become something scared to those without financial backing and a lot of young and promising students fail to attain better academic credentials because of their unfortunate backgrounds whilst those with money getting better results yet practically performing badly.

Only recently a top government official told Parliament that several Zimbabwean cadet students in Russia had been kicked out of their halls of residence and were sleeping at railway stations over unpaid debts, yet back home top management in almost all parastatals are awarding themselves obscene salaries coupled with unrealistic allowances. So the media has a major task in unearthing corruption both in public and private sectors so that the country is able to economically recover from where it is now.
 
The issue of corruption also needs a combined effort from both private and public sector to curb it so that the country is free from economic saboteurs. Those found to have made this country sneeze through corrupt means need to be thrown behind bars so that they pay dearly for their sins.

Mukachana Hanyani is a Harare-based political and social commentator who can be reached through mhanyani@yahoo.com