Opinion / Columnist
Anti-corruption drive endears voters to ED
30 May 2018 at 13:45hrs | Views
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's anti-corruption has win hearts of many a Zimbabweans as the vice had negatively affected the socio-political-economic environment during former president Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule. Corruption had gone unpunished as people engaged in underhand dealings with impunity.
In President Mnangagwa's first State of the Nation address he stated that corruption is the major source of some of the problems the country is and has been facing and its negatively impacting on national development.
Just to show how pervasive the vice had become the Global Corruption Barometer (2013) showed that about 60 percent of Zimbabweans who accessed public services paid bribes to access the services or speed up transactions. It also published that corruption in Zimbabwe is more pronounced in government, public sector, State enterprises and parastatals. A Transparency International report of 2016 noted that Zimbabwe was losing close to a $1billion annually to corruption. President Mnangagwa could not let the status quo continue as it negatively impacted on the economy.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's first port of call after assuming the presidency in November 2017 was to fight corruption by giving an ultimatum to foreign currency externalisers to return the money within three (3) months or face the law. The country has so far managed to recover over $300million of the estimated 1.3billion and more is being processed.
The anti-corruption drive is yielding some positives as foreign investors are being drawn to a corruption-free Zimbabwe. So far, President Mnangagwa has managed to secure $11billion worth of Foreign Direct Investment commitments as investors are gaining confidence in the country aided by her commitment to fighting corruption. A number of foreign investors have visited the country with the express interest to do business with President Mnangagwa's administration as it continues its anti-corruption drive. All these potential investors would not have come if the country was still steeped in unaddressed corrupt activities.
Under President Mnangagwa's administration Zimbabwe Republic Police intensified its fight against corruption by launching Anti-Corruption Unit which will be working together with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and other agencies to curb corruption. The Anti-Corruption Unit was launched in efforts to effectively and efficiently investigate all cases of corruption countrywide.
President Mnangagwa's administration is working on modalities to arm the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) in the fight against corruption as its lack of arresting powers had hamstrung its operations. To date the likes of Walter Mzembi, Samuel Undenge, Ignatious Chombo and many more have cases before the courts accused of shady dealings. President Mnangagwa is on record stating that every case must be investigated and punished in accordance with the law and no one is immune to prosecution as witnessed during the Mugabe era.
In March of 2018, the Government of Zimbabwe led by President Mnangagwa showed its greatest commitment in launching Anti-Corruption Courts in partnership with ZACC, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Attorney General's Office, the ZRP and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services. The Special Anti-Corruption Courts were launched with the aim of prosecuting and making an undertaking that property acquired by the suspect through corrupt activities will be forfeited to the State upon conviction. To show firmer commitment, President Mnangagwa has established a Special Anti-corruption Unit housed in his office, all people engaged in nefarious activities beware.
The Mnangagwa led government has also limited police roadblocks and removed spot fines for traffic offences. This has been a welcomed relief to many a Zimbabweans as these had given birth to corrupt police officials who were forcing motorists to pay bribes so as to get away with traffic offences. The police force was immersed in fining people on petty issues and they had become the main perpetrators of fraud and corruption and they were getting away with it unpunished. This was also negatively affecting tourism as tourists would dread coming to Zimbabwe fearing harassment at Police roadblocks.
For all that he has done in the short space of time in fighting corruption President Mnangagwa has my vote and I am sure of so many Zimbabweans who would want the country to prosper.
In President Mnangagwa's first State of the Nation address he stated that corruption is the major source of some of the problems the country is and has been facing and its negatively impacting on national development.
Just to show how pervasive the vice had become the Global Corruption Barometer (2013) showed that about 60 percent of Zimbabweans who accessed public services paid bribes to access the services or speed up transactions. It also published that corruption in Zimbabwe is more pronounced in government, public sector, State enterprises and parastatals. A Transparency International report of 2016 noted that Zimbabwe was losing close to a $1billion annually to corruption. President Mnangagwa could not let the status quo continue as it negatively impacted on the economy.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's first port of call after assuming the presidency in November 2017 was to fight corruption by giving an ultimatum to foreign currency externalisers to return the money within three (3) months or face the law. The country has so far managed to recover over $300million of the estimated 1.3billion and more is being processed.
The anti-corruption drive is yielding some positives as foreign investors are being drawn to a corruption-free Zimbabwe. So far, President Mnangagwa has managed to secure $11billion worth of Foreign Direct Investment commitments as investors are gaining confidence in the country aided by her commitment to fighting corruption. A number of foreign investors have visited the country with the express interest to do business with President Mnangagwa's administration as it continues its anti-corruption drive. All these potential investors would not have come if the country was still steeped in unaddressed corrupt activities.
President Mnangagwa's administration is working on modalities to arm the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) in the fight against corruption as its lack of arresting powers had hamstrung its operations. To date the likes of Walter Mzembi, Samuel Undenge, Ignatious Chombo and many more have cases before the courts accused of shady dealings. President Mnangagwa is on record stating that every case must be investigated and punished in accordance with the law and no one is immune to prosecution as witnessed during the Mugabe era.
In March of 2018, the Government of Zimbabwe led by President Mnangagwa showed its greatest commitment in launching Anti-Corruption Courts in partnership with ZACC, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Attorney General's Office, the ZRP and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services. The Special Anti-Corruption Courts were launched with the aim of prosecuting and making an undertaking that property acquired by the suspect through corrupt activities will be forfeited to the State upon conviction. To show firmer commitment, President Mnangagwa has established a Special Anti-corruption Unit housed in his office, all people engaged in nefarious activities beware.
The Mnangagwa led government has also limited police roadblocks and removed spot fines for traffic offences. This has been a welcomed relief to many a Zimbabweans as these had given birth to corrupt police officials who were forcing motorists to pay bribes so as to get away with traffic offences. The police force was immersed in fining people on petty issues and they had become the main perpetrators of fraud and corruption and they were getting away with it unpunished. This was also negatively affecting tourism as tourists would dread coming to Zimbabwe fearing harassment at Police roadblocks.
For all that he has done in the short space of time in fighting corruption President Mnangagwa has my vote and I am sure of so many Zimbabweans who would want the country to prosper.
Source - Gift Mashoko
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