ED warns corrupt councils
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has warned corrupt councillors and council officials who convert public funds to personal use, saying Government will not hesitate to punish them.
Addressing delegates during an Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) annual conference yesterday, President Mnangagwa said he was concerned with the level of corruption in local authorities.
“I am concerned by appalling levels of corruption and mismanagement of public funds and properties by both councillors and council officials who play hide-and-seek with Government officials in the process of financial management.
“Those who are prone to corruption, the sun is setting. As public servants, your duty is to protect such public assets in your local authorities for the improvement of the welfare of your communities.
“I exhort you to guard against putting self-interests ahead of serving the electorate and those who engage in corrupt activities shall be punished. Forewarned is forearmed. You must monitor the activities of your fellow councillors and council officials in order to get rid of councils and indeed our society of this cancer of corruption.”
President Mnangagwa said under the Second Republic, there was need to build a legacy of good governance, accountability and transparency for the prosperity of the country.
“I want to implore you as servants of the people to undertake your duties with humility, professionalism, compassion and patriotism,” he said. “You are not masters of the people, but servants of the people. Let us always listen to the people and seek to serve them and meet their needs and going forward I call for more frequent dialogue with us in the central Government.”
President Mnangagwa said councillors and council officials were key stakeholders in the country’s economic growth and attainment of Vision 2030 aimed at transforming Zimbabwe’s economy into an upper middle-income status.
“You are the people who either make our towns function or dysfunction,” he said.
“This critical conference provides us with an opportunity to share first hand information on some of the pressing issues and key matters relevant to the urban local government sector, as well as our national aspirations as a nation. In doing so, it is ideal for us to come up with solutions on how to tackle the various challenges encountered.”
President Mnangagwa said dialogue remained one of the core values of the Second Republic and urged councillors to continue engaging with other key stakeholders such as Government ministers, industrialists and members of the business community.
“This culture is commendable and should continue for it is only through dialogue that sustainable solutions can be found and the national cake fairly shared in the nation,” he said.
“In our engagements, let us always be guided and informed by our national interests above all. As the governance pillars at the local level, you, here gathered, are the drivers of local economy, which I call the provincial economies.”
President Mnangagwa underscored the need to speed up the implementation of devolution, saying it was pivotal in the economic growth of communities at provincial and metropolitan levels.
“My Government is desirous to give full meaning to devolution,” he said.
“The concept of devolution has been there for many years, but I have said we must now implement it.
“It is only through this approach that we can achieve sustainable development that leaves no one behind. It is my belief that the central Government cannot prioritise the needs of a community far away from Harare, but the people of that community themselves should be empowered to resolve and be able to prioritise their challenges to achieve solutions in their communities.
“The days of Harare, the capital city being bambazonke as far as development is concerned are over. Under my administration our communities shall have equal opportunities to realise socio-economic development of our people.” President Mnangagwa said his vision was to see distinct provincial economies developing and competing against each other in line with Vision 2030.
“There is not a single province which has no advantages and opportunities relative to itself,” he said. “Our success or failure as a nation is best depicted by your collective performance. You must, therefore, take it upon yourself to gear up for higher productivity, growth and job creation as we accelerate our journey towards Vision 2030.”
President Mnangagwa said local authorities had a responsibility to create jobs, wealth and modernise the economy which they superintend over in their respective areas of
happened over two decades.
Progress made by Zimbabwe was also acknowledged by Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, who met President Mnangagwa during the UN General Assembly in September.
“I think there are a number of areas where Zimbabwe has made real reforms. No one is perfect and it is a journey,” Baroness Scotland said.
In September, the World Bank named Zimbabwe as one of the “top 20 improvers” in Doing Business 2020. Tweeted World Bank Group president Mr David Malpass on the sidelines of the 74th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York: “Very nice to see Zimbabwean Minister of Finance @ MthuliNcube at #UNGA (United Nations). We discussed the importance of currency + economic liberalisation, & I am encouraged by the legislative reforms under consideration.”
Re-engagement Milestones have been recorded in re-engagement, with the country poised for improved relations with formerly hostile nations.
In June, Zimbabwe and the EU launched a formal dialogue process, while the UK has since urged Zimbabwe to expedite the ratification of a trade agreement to ensure the continuation of trade relations when Britain leaves the EU.
The African Union (AU) and Sadc have committed their unwavering support to Zimbabwe on the issue of sanctions. Last month, SADC walked the talk on the anti-sanctions campaign in solidarity with Zimbabwe, with member states conducting different activities to pressure the US and its Western allies to lift the almost two-decadesold embargo.
As a bonus to rapprochement, the IMF has pledged to continue working with the Government to foster economic stability.
Without November 17, what would have happened?
“The November 2017 smooth transition of power is a defining moment to Zimbabwe’s history. Without it Zimbabwe was fast descending into anarchy. The rampant corruption which was left unchecked had the potential to collapse Zimbabwe’s economy. Even more, the strategic military intervention really restored civil power by allowing citizens to freely express themselves, a culture which has continued to date.
“Had the military not restored civil voices, the public would have resorted to asserting their views through violent means, a case that many would refer to as a civil war. It is not a coincidence that the public now relies on sustainable methods of political communication; it all began in November 2017,” Mr Teddy Ncube explains.
November 17, 2017, Mr Ncube says, becomes important in that it “restored” Zimbabwe’s prospects of national stability.
We can learn from Rwanda If Rwanda could write a book, it would be titled: “From Genocide to Africa’s Singapore.”
In the year 2000, the Rwandan government established Vision 2020, a long-term development strategy with its main objective to transform Rwanda into a middle-income country by 2020, based on a thriving private sector.
Economic transformation took place at a fast pace after the establishment of Rwanda Development Board, a government department that integrates all investment-related agencies. This is part of a greater “Open for Business” thrust.
Rwanda has had one of the fastest rates of economic growth in the world. The country notched up GDP growth of around 8 percent per year between 2001 and 2014.
According to the 2019 World Bank Doing Business index, Rwanda is the 29th easiest place to do business in the world and is the only low-income country in the top 30.
Rwanda Development Board chief executive Ms Clare Akamanzi’s visit to Zimbabwe last year was a direct result of President Mnangagwa’s intervention.
So, can our economy be fixed? Legacy issues include high domestic and international debt, an under-performing manufacturing industry, an import-dependent economy and lack of confidence in the local currency.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has already laid a roadmap to Vision 2030 through implementing the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (September 2018-December 2020); First FiveYear National Development Plan (2021-2025) and Second Five-Year National Development Plan (2026-2030).
Parastatal reforms are in full swing, with commendable milestones achieved so far in a number of companies including the National Railways of Zimbabwe, Grain Marketing Board and Cold Storage Commission.
Political commitment has resulted in reduced spending, budget surplus, investor interest and improved corruption controls.
Minister Mutsvangwa told a business meeting yesterday: “When I look at our economy, I see it as a U-shape. We were going down, now we are going up; productivity growth and job creation. Continue to work hard (Minister Ncube) so that Zimbabwe can come out of this ditch.”
Economist and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce chief executive Mr Chris Mugaga told The Herald that for the economy to work, Minister Ncube has to be brave.
“He has to be brave, but at the same time the Minister of Finance has to push away the political jacket and be a technocrat,” he said.
Said economist Mr Persistence Gwanyanya: “Now, it’s time to work on fundamentals needed to sustain our currency, which is still in its infancy; production, productivity, employment and formalisation.”