Opinion / Columnist
Mnangagwa shows determination to fight corruption
22 May 2018 at 13:31hrs | Views
Anyone who was awake and online late last night will have witnessed a most unusual occurrence. Emmerson Mnangagwa, our 75 year old President, took to Facebook to announce a new anti-corruption prosecution unit. In a personal video to explain his decision, the clearly passionate Mnangagwa declared he was not happy with the slow progress in the prosecution of corruption cases, and therefore was creating a new unit of prosecutors under the Office of the President, to facilitate the effective prosecution of corruption cases.
Some have criticised this move as unnecessary, arguing that anti-corruption units already exist and that they should be empowered to do their job. Others have questioned the precedent of a President taking personal responsibility for the fight against corruption.
But these arguments I believe miss the essence of what ED is saying. We all know there are corrupt elements in our government, and ED has been unequivocal in his desire to fight them. While there has been some progress in this fight over the past six months, the failure to arrest certain individuals is seen by many as an indication of ED's lack of desire to tackle this issue.
But what his recent address revealed was that the issue to date has not been that he does not have the willingness to confront corruption, but rather that he doesn't have the tools. Our legal system is based on the eternal principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty', and therefore whatever the suspicions, without concrete proof of wrongdoing, the President's hands are tied.
It is easy for armchair observers and opposition critics to attack the president for this move, but this is misguided. It is insincere to criticise him for not tackling corruption, but then to criticise him as soon as he begins to. If ED feels that the current structures do not allow us to successfully prosecute the guilty, then it is best to create new structures. And if he is passionate enough to personally take responsibility for this vital issue, then this is something we should all welcome.
We cannot be slaves to process and convention - the current system clearly is not working, and I for one am comforted that the President shares our frustration with the inability to effectively prosecute the corrupt, and is looking for new, innovative ways to do so. This determination to seriously fight corruption is in stark contrast to what came before him, and is an indication that for ED, the fight against corruption is a personal crusade, and one he is determined to win.
Joice
Some have criticised this move as unnecessary, arguing that anti-corruption units already exist and that they should be empowered to do their job. Others have questioned the precedent of a President taking personal responsibility for the fight against corruption.
But these arguments I believe miss the essence of what ED is saying. We all know there are corrupt elements in our government, and ED has been unequivocal in his desire to fight them. While there has been some progress in this fight over the past six months, the failure to arrest certain individuals is seen by many as an indication of ED's lack of desire to tackle this issue.
But what his recent address revealed was that the issue to date has not been that he does not have the willingness to confront corruption, but rather that he doesn't have the tools. Our legal system is based on the eternal principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty', and therefore whatever the suspicions, without concrete proof of wrongdoing, the President's hands are tied.
It is easy for armchair observers and opposition critics to attack the president for this move, but this is misguided. It is insincere to criticise him for not tackling corruption, but then to criticise him as soon as he begins to. If ED feels that the current structures do not allow us to successfully prosecute the guilty, then it is best to create new structures. And if he is passionate enough to personally take responsibility for this vital issue, then this is something we should all welcome.
We cannot be slaves to process and convention - the current system clearly is not working, and I for one am comforted that the President shares our frustration with the inability to effectively prosecute the corrupt, and is looking for new, innovative ways to do so. This determination to seriously fight corruption is in stark contrast to what came before him, and is an indication that for ED, the fight against corruption is a personal crusade, and one he is determined to win.
Joice
Source - Joice Tsitsi
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
