Misheck Shambare
Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa on Thursday said it is difficult for the government to curb corruption since corruption equally benefits its perpetrators.

Speaking at a press briefing in the capital on Thursday to receive the Danish Minister of Trade and Development Corporations, Mogens Jensen, Chinamasa said it is hard for the government to detect corruption at the moment.

“The problem for the government to deal with corruption is that everyone who is involved in the corruption benefits from it.

“The briber is benefitting and the bribed is also benefitting which makes it really difficult to control the situation,” he said.

The Danish Minister revealed that they have interests in investing in the countries agricultural sector, focusing mainly on communal areas and A1 model farmers.

However Minister Chinamasa revealed that the government is working on a way forward to curb corruption and ensure transparency by looking at methods of procurement procedures and hiring of government staff in all governmental sectors.

“The government is going to engage businesses in transparency in order to curb corruption.

“We are going to ensure that procurement procedures and hiring of government staff is done in a transparent interviewing process which will help us nip corruption,” he said.

Chinamasa added that fighting corruption is not an event but it is a process that cannot be achieved in a short space of time.

He further hailed the Danish government for their efforts in the reengagement process with the country.

“We expect direct engagement with the Danish.

“We have the capacity to receive any development aide that comes in a transparent manner,” he said.

The Danish Minister Mogens Jensen nevertheless stressed the importance of policy clarification for the country to be investor friendly.

“We are willing to work again with Zimbabwe and it should come out clear on policy clarification to lure more investors,” said Jensen.

Responding to a questions on whether the government will compensate white commercial farmers who lost their land and assets during the land reform, Chinamasa said the government had an obligation to compensate white commercial farmers.

“We are committed to reimburse victims of land reform as our constitution stipulates but the government has no money as of now.

“We will pay white farmers when resources are available,” he said.