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Recent revelations by the Parliamentary Portfolio Lloyd Gumbo Mr Speaker Sir
Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development on the state of the Cold Storage Company and Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (Arda) farms that are wholly under Government leave a bitter taste in the mouth and indeed an indictment of those indigenous Zimbabweans who have been given authority over these properties. Mr Speaker Sir, following a visit to some of the farms, the committee found that those that were under joint ventures were well taken care of and productive while the ones that were under complete control of Arda were in a dilapidated state.

Said the committee in its findings: “On the visit to Arda Sanyati, the Committee noted with concern that there was no visible security at the premises and most of the machinery and equipment at the farm was being vandalised such as centre pivots, irrigation pumps and transformers.

“It was evident that there was gross negligence and undue care over Government assets. . . The estate also has 85 herd of cattle, most of which are affected by common livestock diseases. The cattle are not getting adequate veterinary services, hence the poor health.”

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Concluded the committee: “There is vast difference between estates under partnership and those still under Arda, with the former exhibiting productivity and the later in a dire situation.” Mr Speaker Sir, there are lessons that can be drawn from the foregoing which is an indictment of the capacity of those who have been given custody of these properties.

The clear message from these findings is that there is general tendency by officials to neglect Government properties and they seem not to care about what happens to the same.

Today, some Government buildings, particularly those outside the major city centres, are in a sorry state with some of them resembling ruins, yet there are people who are still using the same offices.

This also applies to some vehicles that belong to Government departments especially outside the major cities. They are not roadworthy, but just because they belong to the State they are allowed to pass police roadblocks.

But the question is why has this been allowed to continue despite the existence of the law giving responsibility on these officials to take good care of Government properties?

As was rightly raised by Fortune Chasi while debating the committee report, the law is clear that those who neglect Government properties must face the music. “The law through the Public Finance Management Act has provisions that allow Government to deal with people that act in as irresponsible a manner as we are seeing here.

“There is absolutely no point in trying to attract investors to some of these institutions unless we have sorted out management and governance issues that affect these entities. The Ministry must take active interest in the parastatals that operate under it. This seems not to be happening at all. The level of depreciation of Government property that we are seeing in the pictures here is unprecedented

“Those people that are responsible for Government property whether it is money or other property have a responsibility to look after the said property. There seems to be completely no interest in carrying out that responsibility at ARDA and CSC. What is most disconcerting about all this, is the fact that the relevant Ministry does not seem to be concerned or interested in Government property,” said Chasi.

Mr Speaker Sir, there lies the problem where authorities seem not to be interested in following the Supreme law of the land in protecting Government assets.

Section 308 of the Constitution on duties of custodians of public funds and property on subsection (3) states that: “It is the duty of every person who has custody or control of public property to safeguard the property and ensure that it is not lost, destroyed, damaged, misapplied or misused.”

Subsection (4) adds that: “An Act of Parliament (Public Finance Management Act) must provide for the speedy detection of breaches of subsections (2) and (3) and the disciplining and punishment of persons responsible for any such breaches and, where appropriate, the recovery of misappropriated funds or property.

As defined by the Constitution, public property means any property owned or held by the State or any institution or agency of the Government, including provincial and local tiers of Government, statutory bodies and Government-controlled entities.

Mr Speaker Sir, it is therefore clear that authorities in charge of these institutions must be held accountable and in the event that line ministries are reluctant to apply the law they must also be charged for being complicit.

Government spends a lot of taxpayers’ money to acquire these properties and assets so they should not be put to waste due to negligence by officials who have no regard for the State.

Officials who neglect Government properties must be made to pay instead of just abandoning Government assets to deteriorate. Culprits must be brought to book or at least pay for the loss where it is because of neglect. This will send a clear message to would-be offenders that it is no longer business as usual.

Failure to punish officials who neglect these assets will see the country continue to lose out on its assets, yet the law is there and all that is needed is to apply it without fear or favour.

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