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Rampant corruption levels rile Mugabe

by George Maponga
14 May 2016 at 04:21hrs | Views
President Mugabe yesterday bemoaned rampant corruption in rural and urban councils countrywide, saying the vice had reached alarming levels which threatened the country's moral fabric. The President said it was shocking that corrupt councillors were cashing in on desperate home-seekers whom they fleeced of thousands of dollars through selling housing stands in undesignated areas or double allocations.

He said that was supposed to stop forthwith.

The President said this while addressing thousands of people at Chamisa Primary on the outskirts of Mpandawana Growth Point after he had visited Chief Gutu's homestead to pay his last respects to the late Chief Gutu, Mr Anos Kasirayi Masanganise and his wife Mrs Pamhidzai Masanganise who passed on in 2013 and 2011, respectively.

The late Chief Gutu was the President's uncle and the Head of State and Government laid wreaths on both graves after he had failed to attend their funerals owing to pressing national commitments. President Mugabe's late mother Ambuya Bona Mugabe was a direct descendant of the Gutu family lineage hence Chief Gutu was the President's uncle.

The President expressed dismay that most councillors were getting into office to enrich themselves at the expense of service delivery. "Tine dambudziko iyezvino remakanzuru edu angave makanzuru emumamadhorbha kana emumaruwa. Hameno kuti macouncillors anofunga kuti kuenda mukanzuru waendazve kunzvimbo yaunozvipa iwe mari here?'' he asked.

''Ukaona zviri kuitika semunanaHarare kuti vanhu vekanzuru vanongobuda vakangoona gwara risina kurimwa risina kuvakwa vototi apapa tingaita mari apa havo vave kutodaidzira kuti vanoda mastands, plots. Tinawo kuno, vanhu vakunyoreswa vakutorerwa mari vachipihwa nzvimbo dzisina kufanira kuti vapihwe hazvisungirwe kuitiwa izvozvo,'' he added.

President Mugabe said not everyone had the power to parcel out land saying there were clearly laid down policies that were supposed to be followed by councillors in allocating people residential stands irrespective of whether the land was in growth points or major urban centres.

''Kune mbavha dzinoti isusu hatina basa tiri kushaya mabasa huya shamwari tinagoita mari apa. Zvonzi nenzira ipi? Tinongoti kune mastands akati akati toti tichiri chikwata chinogona kupa vanhu mastands akatengeserwa vanhu kare. Voshambadza kuti munoda mastands here vopihwa mari vanhu pavanozoinda kumstands aye vonzwa kuti akapihwa vanhu kare apa mbavha dziye dzinenge dzatopihwa mari kare dzatochinja mazita,'' he said.

''Izvozvo ndozvatinoti zvinoputsa hunhu wedu muZimababwe. Ngative vanhu vanovimbiwa navo zvekuti kana vana amai vasiya zvikwama zvavo mumabhazi hazvitorwe. Vanonzi ndivanani vana amai masiya zvikwama zvakati zvakati. Tine nyika shoma dzakadaro pasina humbavha chose. Zvino vamwe vanobva vati ndazviwanira pano,'' added.

The President said Zimbabweans should develop a culture of self -reliance and not just wait to get formal employment. He said Government was also concerned with the increasing number of people who were subletting their land to white former farmers.

''Nyangova iyezvino hatichakwanisa kupa vanhu madhandanda emafarm, tinodimura dimura tiiine ruzivo rwekuti vatakapa mandanda havasi kukwanisa kurima. Vave kutora mabhunu nerweseri kuti ndimi mune matractors tirimirei nekuti mabhunu akasiya aviga matractors zvino hatidi izvozvo,''he said.

''Ndaitaura naMinister (Douglas) Mombeshora ndichivati hamusi kunzwa here nyaya dzekuti kune vanhu vedu vari kuti kumabhunu rimaiwo nepapa wozondipa mubairo vaMombeshora vakati varikuzvinzwa. Ndikavati vayambirei vanhu ivavo kuti tinovatorera nekuti hazvisirizvo zvatakavapira minda. Takavapa minda kuti vave neruzivo vanofundiswa kwete kuita business rekuti huya urime apa ugondipa pakati,'' he added.

President Mugabe mocked local opposition parties for lacking a clear ideology saying it was shocking that these puppet parties were expending their energy on fighting Zanu PF instead of tackling Western countries that imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.

He said Zanu PF did not regret expelling those who deviated from the party line leading to some of them forming the Zimbabwe People First party fronted by former Vice President Dr Joice Mujuru.

The President pointed out that Zanu PF was a tried and tested party that had a known record of leading the country's war of independence that led to the collapse of the racist colonial regime.

''Ndinoda kukutendai vemuno maGutu nemuMasvingo hamuna kuzuziwa manzwa kuti vamwe vanehunyanya vakasiya musangano vakazviti tisu tave vePeople First vachiteverwa nedzimwe hama dzemuno muMasvingo. Makati aiwa musimboti wedu tinouziva tinoti hamba, ndimi manga muchikanganisa zvinhu. Tisiyei tiri mugwara reZanu PF ratinoziva, gwara ratisvitsa pano, gwara ratipa rusunguko ratisimbaradza tichirwisana nemaBritish nemaAmericans,'' he said.

The Head of State said no amount of economic strangulation through the illegal sanctions will force Zimbabweans to submit themselves to the whims of the country's former colonisers.

''Nanhasi tine masanctions asi tinobvunza kuti imi vaAmerica chamunotirwisira chiiko. Hapana chatinoda kana musingandi hushamwari nesu saka zondo racho nderei, kurwadziwa chete kuti vanhu vemuZimbabwe vanoda nyika yavo?, vanoda kuzvitonga?,''he said.

''Ndochimiro chisina zvimwe zvimaopposition party zvamunonzwa izvi, whether its MDC-T, MDC-T or Z, I do not know or its Zuva Rabuda inonzi chiiko yaSimba Makoni kana icho chazoti ndisu People First, chinonzi People First chii?, Hapana wamambonzwa achiti hatidi nyikayedu kuti tiidzosere muhutongwa hwevauyi. Hatdi kuti vapindire mumaitiro edu, hatidi kuti vatikangakanise mumagariro edu. Hatisati tambonzwa vachikakavadzana nemaBritish nemaAmericans ,yavo hondo ndeye kurwisana neZanu PF, yatadzei, kukuvigirai rusununguko,'' he added.

President Mugabe said it was shocking that some opposition leaders like MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's election policies were bent on returning land to white former farmers. Turning to war veterans, President Mugabe said it was the duty of the country's former liberation fighters to work together with the ruling party to make sure it remained a formidable force in the country.

"We applaud war vets, but they should unite the party, vanoti takarwirwa nyika, vave mukati mevazhinji, vashande vari mu party. That is what the party fought for, party yatora zvino kwamakabva mukasiyira imimi, hamungarambe muchiti tichiri kunze kwenyika, moita sekuti muri kwenyu mega,'' he said.

He added: ''Hamungarambi muchiti tichiri kunze kunge muri kwenyu mega, kupi kwacho? Ndingade kukuziva ini. Taiti tiri kurwira vazhinji. Taiti tiri kutungamirirwa ne politics. Saka ndimi munofanira kusimbaradza party kwete kuda kusadharara muri kwenyu mega.

"Ko nhaka yenyu inoinda mberi seiko nekuti hakuchava nemamwe mawar vets mangwana, mawar vets akaitika kare, mawar vets ari kuramba achishomeka achishomeka nekukura, vachishoneka nerufu.

"Saka nhaka inotorwa nekusimudzirwa nevechidiki vari kuuya, varikuuya vari mu party, not outside the party and we want the unity of the party, not the divisions of it. War vets should exercise their right to belong to the party, they have no right to operate outside the party, not at all," said the President.

The President warned that there was no room for factionalism in Zanu PF saying youths should not be used to foment factional fights in the ruling party. "Youth league irambe iri youth league yakabatana, kwete youth league yekuda kurwisana nevakuru, ungaita ruzivo rwekuti takabva kupi iwe wakazvarwa 20 years ago? Hazvibatsiri izvozvo.

"Regai kupazaniswa pfungwa nevamwe vanoda kutikanganisa vachiti sapotai nhingi, ivai group ranhingi, hatina magroups inonzi ranhingi, we have one big group which is Zanu PF, We do not know about factions. Hatidi. Pange pakuita kupfekenyedza nekutikanganisa. Ndoda kutiizvozvo tizvidzime zvisaitika zvekare mangwana," he said.

President Mugabe said every child had the right to education warning schools against sending children away for failing to pay school fees. He said Government was going to devise ways of paying fees for those who failed to raise fees especially this year when the country was grappling with one of the worst droughts in living memory.

He reiterated that Government was going to make sure that food was accessible in all parts of the country adding various interventions such as the Food for Work programme had been introduced to mitigate the effects of drought.

Addressing the same gathering Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira, echoed President Mugabe's sentiments saying the food situation was now a top agenda at every Cabinet meeting.

President Mugabe was accompanied by Zanu PF National Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, State Security Minister Kembo Mohadi and provincial leadership among others.


Source - chronicle