Mugabe to receive anti-corruption award.
Natasha Justin
High corruption levels currently prevailing in the government have exacerbated the deterioration of the economic situation in Zimbabwe.
Last year the country was ranked 156 out of 175 highly corrupt countries in the 2014 Global Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International.
However President Mugabe is on record talking about ending the corruption that has left the country drowning in debt.
On his birthday celebrations at Rudhaka Stadium in February 2014, the President said that anyone who is found involved in corrupt activities should be prosecuted regardless of one’s status. He also repeated his sentiments at the Zanu PF 6th congress encouraging people to provide evidence of those corrupt where possible.
Zero Tolerance Director Dumisani Mthombeni commended President Mugabe for talking about ending corruption in a press conference in the capital last year and is set to honor and acknowledge him with a lifetime achievement award for denouncing corruption in the country.
In an interview with the Zimbabwe Sentinel Mthombeni said they are still to go on with the awards at a later date to be disclosed this year.
“The fact that the president denounces corruption publicly is a milestone,” he said
However political activists argue that President Mugabe does not deserve that award because he is only good at sweet talking people and not making effective actions on the ground.
President Mugabe has been talking about ending corruption for a long time now but nothing solid has materialized towards achieving that goal.
Director for Coalition against Corruption, Terry Mutsvangwa said President Mugabe cannot get the anti-corruption award because he only talks about ending it without any action on the ground.
“We regard such an award as a farce and since 1980 the people of Zimbabwe have been deprived of their wealth by the greedy politicians in government and little has been done by Mugabe to those who have been fingered in corruption.
“We call upon progressive minded people not to celebrate such an award,” he said.
President Mugabe in 2013 plucked Jacob Mudenda from political obscurity and elevated him to the highest party decision making body.
Mudenda has been in political wilderness after being implicated in the Willowgate scandal of the late 1980s, which Mugabe completely ignored.
As if this was not enough, he also appointed Frederick Shava who is now Zimbabwe ambassador to China who was also implicated in the Willowgate scandal but was not arrested.
A lot of Mugabe’s ministers were implicated in the war victims’ compensation fund including Joyce Mujuru who was a minister then. It was found that some of these ministers had falsified the extent of their injuries but Mugabe did not take action against those that were implicated.
Most recently former South African President Thabo Mbeki told President Mugabe that his ministers were demanding bribes from investors to facilitate projects but to the nation’s surprise no action was taken.
Zimbabwe Democracy Institute Director Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya said Mugabe cannot be given such an award.
“Mugabe is corrupt himself as he is presiding over a corrupt regime,” he said.
He went on to say that if Mugabe was a serious fighter of corruption, he should resign as the state institutions, government parastatals and civil service he leads are very corrupt.
“It is a mockery awarding chief architects of corruption,” said Dr Ruhanya.
The Zero tolerance-wise anti-corruption award ceremony will honor and acknowledge individuals and organizations that have contributed themselves towards the fighting of corruption in Zimbabwe.
