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Tichaona Zindoga Political Editor
Referring to China in terms of its growth model and ways of dealing with corruption is fast beginning to be a cliché. A depressing one, too, because Zimbabwe (and we are afraid, most African countries) are failing rather dismally to match the example of the Asian giant.Perhaps we are too impatient to expect to catch up too soon.
Or just not up to it.
Events of the past few weeks and days, however, have seen Zimbabwe come close to a stage where a question is asked whether the country is on the path of dealing once and for all with corruption, and more significantly, bringing grand thieves to book.
Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 famously called for the arrest of corrupt “tigers and flies at the same time”.
His stance has led to the arrest and punishing of hundreds and thousands of officials both big and small.
In 2015 alone 300 000 officials, including 82 000 who were severely punished and demoted, were nabbed and reports from China say these included the nation’s former chief of domestic security, a retired general and the highest-ranking military official.
Many top officials were sentenced to life in prison, it is said.
Chinese call top officials tigers.
Here, we call them big fish, or bigwigs.
As is public knowledge, and in a matter now before our honourable courts, Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and his deputy are being accused of graft involving some half a million dollars.
More allegations could follow them, too.
The case is interesting, nay, instructive in many respects.
First, is this the beginning of a serious fight against corruption which will see the netting of tigers, big fish or bigwigs – take your pick?
The Prof Moyo case has been mired by allegations that it is a political and tribal war.
That was the substance of his seeming obfuscations over the past days since the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission came knocking on his allegedly corrupt door.
His latest obfuscation was a threat to sue, among others Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Information Minister Chris Mushohwe and permanent secretary in the same ministry Mr George Charamba; newspaper editors and ZACC investigations chair Mr Goodison Nguni.
He challenged the legality of ZACC and the National Prosecuting Authority and their respective office bearers.
He claimed he was suffering “public lynching” and ranged against a “political tool” called ZACC which he claimed had abdicated its independence.
He then claimed a “state capture” (a term in such hot currency in South Africa today) in all this.
Prof Moyo had vowed not to comply with ZACC threatening to invoke legal action against appearing before the body.
Only on Wednesday, he did and actually spent a sleepless night, according to him, after his cameo at No. 872 Betterment Close, Mt Pleasant.
He says he felt like being summoned by lions to their den (itself a pregnant-ly suggestive statement).
It will be critical to examine Prof Moyo’s statements and sentiments in trying to locate and evaluate the corruption fight.
If one were to ignore for once that a man in Prof Moyo’s position is likely to clutch at straws, it would be such a sad day were instruments of State to be used for political, personal or tribal grounds.
If this is true then, unfortunately, Zimbabwe will continue to lag behind in fighting corruption.
Fighting corruption should be so narrow as to be divisive and destructive.
ZACC is a constitutional body established in terms of the law and mandated to combat corruption, theft, abuse of power and other improprieties in Zimbabwe through investigation, public education, prevention, and cause prosecution after thorough investigations.
The whole range of its activities and reach should see a lot of action being instituted by the body in a way that makes it clear of narrow, parochial, inflammatory or self-serving accusations.
Fighting corruption should not be seasonal.
This leads to the second question as to whether ZACC is really in the mood of fighting corruption and can we see a sustained blitz on corrupt individuals and corporates for a long time to come – perhaps till Zimbabwe is free of the cancer of corruption?
That will be seen.
The other question is, does ZACC have the capacity to fight corruption in the country?
The enabling legislation says, among other things, that the commission shall: “… do or cause to be done, either by itself or through its agents, all or any of the things specified in the Schedule, either absolutely or conditionally and either solely or jointly with others”; exercise its powers concurrently with those of the police and be governed by the relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act [Chapter 9:07] which govern the police.
For long derided as a toothless bulldog, ZACC may just as yet showed us that it has teeth in doggedly pursuing Prof Moyo in spite of, or rather because of, the high profile individual they targeted.
Prof Moyo is no ordinary guy.
The gratuitous threats he was throwing around and the claims that he may as well have the last laugh, could have been enough grounds to abandon the pursuit of the tiger.
Prof Moyo, as he is due to appear before the courts (starting today probably), is not going to take anything lying down.
There is a whole lot of drama that is in the offing.
In the aforementioned statement in which he threatened to defy and sue, Prof Moyo ended with this chillingly loaded statement, that: “It would be remise (sic) of me to not acknowledge and thank many of you that have come forward with evidence and information pointing to shocking and scandalous cases of high-level corruption, theft and fraud and pillaging of State resources and assets by high-ranking individuals and persons who speak against corruption during the day and practise it in staggering proportions at night thereby depriving not only current but future generations of sources of their livelihood. I want to assure you that I will treat this information in the strictest of confidence and will bring it to the attention of the relevant authorities at the earliest opportunity for swift action.”
He has since hinted on his Twitter account that a certain official has over 700 gold mines whose entire output is smuggled outside the country.
Ordinarily, and according to ordinary people, that said official is a fit and proper candidate for investigation and possible arrest and punishment.
That, though, cannot be an excuse for Prof Moyo not to face allegations – whether he chooses to see himself as a fly or Robin Hood for that matter.
The country is better off without both tigers and flies of corruption whatever their politics, religion, colour or tribe.
That is the real prayer and something that will easily win the hearts of the people.
Someone please declare this the year of catching tigers and big fish (and, boy, they make better meals!).
Online Reporter