The Great Commission for Masimirembwa

My congratulations go to Mr Goodwills Masimirembwa on his recent appointment as the board chairman for the government transport enterprise, the Central Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED).

The nation has great confidence that he will unquestionably measure up to the tall task ahead. Despite some cunning manoeuvrings to discredit Masimirembwa, the man did exceptionally well in his previous postings.  It was during his tenure at the helm of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) that the prices of our diamonds improved. It was the same time that our diamonds were certified by the Kimberly Process Certification (KPC).

It is nothing but this brilliant feat that gives me the strong conviction that the man is the gem that is needed to turnaround the fortunes of the state vehicle administrator.

 CMED can be an effective tool for fulfilling one of Zim Asset's objectives of improving the standard of living for people, particularly civil servants. I have argued umpteen times that Poverty Datum Line (PDL) linked salaries per se, for civil servants is not enough. Non-monitory incentives are a more sustainable way of empowering government workers.

 The PDL keeps on shifting and the government has to continue chasing it. This is unsustainable, more so when the government has already shown its incapacity to pay anything in the region of the current PDL.

In view of this, CMED must revive its car loan facility for civil servants. This should be upper most on the priority list of the Masimirembwa- led board. A car in this age, is overwhelmingly utilitarian than a luxury asset. As a result, civil servants are borrowing money from the banks with exorbitant interest rates in order to purchase cars. This has further eaten into their meagre salaries, leaving them with scarce disposable incomes.

Even if the civil servants, most of whom are pedestrians and lodgers, were to be paid an average of $1000 per month, a dream of owning a car and a house without government assistance will still be a pipe dream. However, that money is of substance to one who owns those two basic necessities.

Some people may raise the issue of funding. Indeed there is no funding but those who think outside the box will never run dry of ideas to fund such a noble cause. CMED used to offer civil servants car loans which were, however, not properly managed. A great chunk of the beneficiaries never paid back these loans and the management did not to care to make some follow ups.

CMED must make sure that all beneficiaries repay the loan so that others benefit also. Hopefully the records of the beneficiaries did not vanish into thin air. The department can enlist the assistance of the ministries and government departments under which the beneficiaries worked or used to work for.

People must have a culture of accountability. With the sanctions burning us, our economy is still very fragile to put people on the dole. All the money that is owed to the state must be recouped. It will contribute a great deal in reinvigorating our economic machinery.

People now have a reliance disease and there is a disturbing and growing misapprehension among the people that any loan facility extended out by government is for free. They go for such loans without vacillation because they know for certain that along the way, they will default with impunity.

In 2007, the government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe launched a $200 million farm mechanisation scheme to help the new farmers on a rent-to-buy basis. Most of the beneficiaries of this scheme have not been repaying their loans. Dr Gideon Gono, the Governor of the Central bank then, is on record saying that the scheme contributed to the bank's $1 billion debt because beneficiaries were not paying back.

There are several other loan facilities that the government introduced in good faith which people messed up. There used to be the Vocational Training Loan (VTL) for tertiary students. Most of the beneficiaries, who are today bosses of big companies and politicians in some political groupings, never paid back these loans. Some of these students even managed to marry using the VTL yet today's students endure abject poverty while at college.

 The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) launched a loan facility in 2012 to help farmers with inputs. There was also the youth empowerment fund which was co-funded by government and Old Mutual.

Government should have done an audit on these loan facilities. Such an audit would have unmasked how the schemes were abused and how some highly regarded people looted. Some people got the equipment and inputs for resale because they either did not have the farms or they just decided to make quick money out of the same. At least these people must pay back so that the loans revolve and benefit other citizens.

Masimirembwa is joining CMED at a time when it is under scrutiny for the $3 million botched fuel deal. He must pursue that case and make sure the money is recovered. This money can be used to kick-start the car loan facility. CMED must rope in the state owned vehicle assembler, Willovale Mazda Motor Industries (WMMI) in the scheme.