adminSuch a scenario threatens our food security as a country.
The Government last year launched farming inputs schemes to assist farmers get access to inputs on credit through the GMB nationwide. The idea was that after harvesting, the farmers would then pay back their loans. And we believe some of the enterprising farmers have harvested a surplus and will be paying back their loans.
The President’s commitment to farming and the success of the land reform saw him launch a Presidential Inputs Scheme to augment supplies from the loan scheme all in a bid to improve our harvests and make our country get back its bread basket status in the region.
It would seem while the President worked night and day and explored means to make our farmers more productive, some within his Cabinet had other ideas that verge on sabotage.
Addressing villagers in her constituency at the weekend, Vice-President Joice Mujuru said some Cabinet ministers were corrupt and had looted subsidised inputs meant for ordinary Zimbabweans, and in the process derailed the President’s efforts to ensure that our farmers are productive.
People in the VP’s constituency alleged that rampant corruption at the GMB had denied them access to inputs provided by the Presidential Scheme with Zanu-PF officials said to have been working with GMB officials to grab the inputs that were later sold to the constituents.
“In Cabinet, we understand that there are some big names who have looted tonnes and taken them to their homes. Zvinonyadzisa President,” said VP Mujuru.
The Vice-President bemoaned the political divisions brought about by the skewed distribution of the inputs saying though the President meant well, party officials and GMB officers had been a let down.
We believe that senior Government officials should be held accountable and that we should stop blaming the weather where there are clear cases of abuse of Government programmes for self-enrichment. Zimbabwe deserves better and the Government should not just express concern about the rot within its ranks but investigate and prosecute the ministers who stole the people’s inputs.
There is a lot of anger out there and the people could vent their anger on the party and Government leader, when the GMB officials and the ministers are the ones who soiled an otherwise noble programme. A precedent has already been set through the arrest of Members of the House of Assembly that are reported to have abused Constituency
Development Funds and we believe even in the case of the inputs heads must roll.
Constituents nationwide need to be vigilant since some of their leaders seem to be feasting on their benefits while they continue to wallow in poverty.
We need more controls in the distribution of inputs and food to our people to reduce cases of corruption and swift action should be taken once the culprits are identified to give the people hope that these senior officials are not above the law. Our political parties would do us a lot of good by screening their prospective office holders and having zero tolerance to corruption, which has grown to such levels that senior officials are not even afraid of stealing from a Presidential scheme.
Online Reporter