Even a good cabinet can fail if corruption is not arrested…ED warned

Zwnews Chief Correspondent

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has finally appointed his much awaited cabinet ministers, who will be expected to help him execute his mandate.

Appointing his new look cabinet, Mnangagwa has managed to sidestep most of the famous faces, who had been in cabinet for quite a while.

The appointments have seen the likes of Obert Mpofu, Patrick Chinamasa, Mike Bimha, Supa Mandiwanzira, among others failing to make it into the line up.

Some of the new faces who made their way in include, renowned sports personality and Zimbabwe’s golden girl Kirsty Coventry deployed in the sports ministry, Mtuli Ncube for the finance portfolio, as well as Dr Obadiah Moyo for the health ministry.

While many seem to have welcomed the new look cabinet, a call has been made for President Mnangagwa to curb the cancer of corruption so as to warn the would-be offenders among his new team, amid calls for the President to give them enough room to execute their duties well, in line with policy.

They say the President should not act like former President Robert Mugabe, who in many instances let corrupt officials scot-free while he fell up with ministers when they advise him to avoid certain moves. “Any minister who failed to agree with Mugabe was termed an enemy,” some have said.

They gave an example, saying at one time Mugabe fell up with Patrick Chinamasa, after he as the then Minister of Finance told the nation that there was no funds for wage increases.

“Mugabe also had sour relations with some other ministers who differed with him over policy issues,” citizen said.

Some citizens who spoke to the Zwnews crew on the streets of Harare after the announcement of the cabinet said they welcome the new look administrators.

They said since most of the members who made up the previous cabinet had their names fingered in acts of corruption; the new look set up may help to boost confidence.

A local business person who runs an electronics shop in the CBD, said while the cabinet looks good, but as far as corruption is left unchecked, nothing is going to change on the economic front.

“The issue of dealing with corruption, is critical in unlocking investors’ confidence, no one would risk put money in a country where corruption is going unchecked.

If Mnangagwa fails to address this ill, even if he hires the best ministers in the world, the economy will not grow,” said the entrepreneur who only identified himself as Newton.

Laura Kateguru, an economics student at a local institution of higher learning in the city agrees, that the President should take a zero tolerance approach towards corruption.

She added that, apart from sidelining the old guards, those among them who had been fingered in corrupt acts should be investigated. So as to warn the new-comers against following their footsteps.

“Though we don’t know the main reason why ED sidelined the old guards, those said to have abused their offices for personal gains should be cross-examined, and the guilty ones be made to face the music,” she said.

Meanwhile, corruption has been noted as the chief culprit in undermining Zimbabwe’s economy. In most cases there has been public outcry over the lack of political will by the country’s leadership in dealing with the vice. President Mnangagwa himself stands accused for allegedly failing to deal with it too.

At the same time, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has dismally failed to investigate public officials fingered in corruption for political reasons.

Only yesterday, the body announced that it is keen to investigate Tendai Biti for alleged abuse of office when he was the Minister of Finance during the inclusive government era.

The move is being viewed by many as politically motivated, since non of the fingered officials in ZANU PF have been investigated, save for the ones linked to the Generation 40 group only.