Zimcodd pressures govt to deal with corruption

THE Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) has embarked on a campaign to lobby citizens to pressure government to act on corruption.

Zimcodd director Janet Zhou said citizens had a right to demand transparency and accountability in public finance management.

“The campaign is hinged on activating citizens’ agency in demanding for accountability, based on the contemporary expression “How far?” which really is not asking about distance but inquiring on progress made in addressing some of the fundamental issues on public finance management.

“Government, as custodians of public resources, has the responsibility of ensuring that information on how they raise and spend public financial resources is made accessible to every citizen so that they can be held accountable to this duty.

“The campaign promotes the right to information of citizens through its catch phrase that ‘You deserve to know, and I deserve to know’,”she said.

Zhou said corruption was bleeding the country of financial resources.

The country’s internal debt now stands at $20,9 billion while the external debt is US$10,5 billion.

Recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa admitted that the country was heavily indebted to China, but most of the debts were accrued without the oversight of Parliament.

“Zimbabweans need to know how far the country has gone in putting plans to address the huge debt overhang but more importantly, what mechanisms are there to avoid the debt from continuously increasing.

“We have been calling for transparency and accountability for long and without it, our country continues to bleed out crucial financial resources that could be used to meet our social services, spur development, and guarantee a better future for our children,” she said.