ZDP strategy on ending corruption in Zimbabwe

Beginning of this week Professor Jonathan Moyo issued a statement in which he stated intention to take legal action against several government officials and institutions including the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), its chairperson Mr. Goodson Nguni, Vice President E.D Mnangagwa, personnel and the branches of the Zimpapers. In the statement he vowed to expose corruption by senior government official. The Zimbabwe Dream Project (ZDP) is delighted by the professor's intention to exposing corruption by top government officials but urges the professor to let the law take its course in both the ZIMDEF case and those he intend to name.

Professor Moyo has vindicated our long held position that ZACC is crippled by political manipulation by claiming that Mr. Nguni had a criminal record from South Africa as such his appointment was in contravention with the law. This is the same with appointment of Silence Pondo who acted as the CEO to the commission despite being a serving member of the police. Through the appointment of unqualified personnel the commission has become a state tool to appease political wrangling driven not necessarily by patriotism but the selfish factional vendetta. As such, it is only prudent that a personnel audit be conducted checking on both the backgrounds and qualifications of everyone from the commissioners to the staff.

The professor has just validated our belief that several top government officials are embroiled in serious corruption which is why a minister who is just public servant can afford to live in mansions when the greater part of the nation is smothering in confounding poverty. It would be wrong to treat the Professor Moyo's case in isolation for it is only a window into the world of grand corruption. Moyo like many others in government is either corrupt or know who is plundering national resources but resolve not to speak until their egos are shaken. But by silence they are abetting a crime which makes them coconspirators. The Zimbabwe Dream Project states that no one is born a by stander we all have a choice to either ignore or make effort to expose evil.

The Zimbabwe Dream Project is concerned with the astounding scale of corruption in Zimbabwe. The Jonathan Moyo expose comes just a week after the revelation of corruption by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority leadership. Many more cases have not just been exposed but fully investigated especially by the Comptroller Auditor General's Office and ZACC yet nothing has happened to those involved. Corruption is an index for human and social deprivation as it deliberately reverses processes that advance human or infrastructure development; it chokes practices that open levels of bigger and inclusive social and economic consumption. Like HIV AIDS, corruption fractures the fabric by which human advancement creates and passes life. It narrows democratic mortality, media space, and judicial freedom and alters the policy focus of governments. It enriches a few and impoverishes the majority. To this end we propose the following 5 point plan:

1. That the president be advised that so many activities are done in his name and when he doesn't act against them he provides criminals with the cover to continue looting national resources. The president must speak and walk the talk against corruption.
We applaud the coming into effect of the Public Finance Management Amendment Act which gives the green light to law enforcement agencies to arrest top government officials for corruption but we lament the 5 year jail term as too short.

2. That no presidential pardon must be given to those convicted of corruption and the ill-gotten asserts confiscated by the state. No special treatment ought to be afforded for those who steal from the poor and loot resources that could be used to ensure social mobility to the under privileged.

3. The establishment of a periodic life style audit on all senior government officials as basis to monitor proper accumulation of wealth. Government officials must be made to account for all their wealth at any given time. In the same vein public officials must be made to declare all their assets prior to assumption of public duty. A culture of servant leadership must replace today's powerful untouchable public official.

4. The government must ensure that dockets of all corruption cases are reopened and all those accused of the scourge be suspended from public duty pending investigations. This means revisiting corruption cases from the 1980s to date. Zimbabwe is never short of man power but is short of men and women of transparency in government.

5. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission must be an independent and well-resourced instrument with powers to investigate, arrest and a special anti-corruption court must be established to ensure speed and just prosecution.