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Ms Chiri

Victoria Ruzvidzo Business Focus
It is quite unfortunate that in this day and age, with an economy that is facing immense challenges as ours, we still get shocking reports that the bulk of Government ministries are unashamedly engaged in misdemeanors that are bleeding the fiscus of millions of dollars.
Can we afford such luxury if I may call it that? Government has been crying its voice hoarse in search of the seemingly elusive dollar but we find some who still feels that they can make a quick buck from the little that finds its way into treasury.

Have we become so unreasonable, so greedy  and so self-centred as a people?
Government has been struggling to fund its activities, only barely managing to pay salaries and to keep a few projects alive while the majority of these have been held in abeyance due to lack of funds.

This state of affairs has been with us for some time now but the liquidity crunch has remained unrelenting.
But under such dire circumstances we still find some individuals who have the temerity to milk Government of the little that is has. That is really gutsy!

A report this week by the Auditor-General, Ms Mildred Chiri, that Government ministries have been flouting governance and procurement rules willy-nilly, abusing millions of dollars in the process, makes very sad reading.

If anything, the economy finds itself in this state today largely because of the very issues that the auditor-general has raised.
Corruption and flagrant disregard to set out rules and procedures have left the economy weaker.

Poor procurement systems and other fraudulent activities have been identified in at least 18 Government ministries and yet there are laid down procedures and systems in place that must be observed.

How can those in whose hands millions of dollars are entrusted simply pour money into defective or sub-standard projects?
How do they fail to purchase to best advantage as if Government is awash with money.

Even if it were, why not use the funds for more productive projects to improve service delivery and the general standard of living?
Is it not obvious that when things are tight like this you make the most of the little that you have?

The oiling of hands, overpricing and pocket fattening that is going on does not help matters and will continue to put paid to initiatives to rejuvenate the economy.

Key social services cannot be funded and yet we have some self-serving officials pocketing lots of money via illicit deals or simply draining the fiscus through negligence and failure to implement or superintend over procurements guidelines.

“Some ministries were effecting payments to suppliers without the prerequisite documents such as invoices, receipts and delivery notices.
“The deficiencies, if not addressed, will continue to drain Government of critical resources,” warned the auditor-general.

But the perpetrators seem unperturbed. Who is accountable in these ministries?
I think naturally the buck stops with the accounting officer – the permanent secretaries for the ministries – who need to apply a heavy hand in dealing with truant officers under them and that is if they themselves are not complicit.

But there should be someone to whip the boys into line.
The ministers themselves should also take full charge of their respective portfolios.

They have oversight role over their ministries and we wonder how they have allowed all this to happen.
Running Government should be taken as a business where accountability should be the order of the day.

Any shoddy performance or dereliction of duty should attract certain penalties that should include dismissal.
Government needs to operate efficiently and set the pace for wholesome national development.

A variance of at least $170 million between collections recorded by Treasury and amounts collected by line ministries smacks of deep-rooted corruption, a vice that appears to be far from being tamed in this country.

Already, the economy is saddled with the heavy burden that comes with corrupt activities with billions of dollars having been lost in the last few years.

So much has been said about corruption and its negative effects but many of those involved remain unfazed.
What has happened to the performance management systems introduced in Government over the last few years?

Why are they so open to abuse? Is somebody sleeping on the wheel?
Too many questions are going through our heads as we seek to understand how systems can be so porous to this extent and why those given responsibility are abusing the trust bestowed on them.

There are some countries on the continent where corruption has become the order of the day.
In fact it is now the norm rather than the exception. In Zimbabwe we have not reached such levels but we are heading in that direction at a supersonic speed. It is worrying.

In fact what is actually even more worrisome in this instance is that the auditor-general has, year in and year out, brought to the fore issues of gross mismanagement and abuse of funds but we have not seen any efforts to redress the situation.

We have not had any arrest, investigations or commissions of inquiry put in place to deal with the situation.
As things stand, it has become a matter of procedure or is it mere routine that the auditor-general’s report is produced and shelved, gathering dust until the next one comes. And yet we have arms of Government that should be nudged into action.

Already this week we should have been seeing arrests being made and some people being fired, not that we enjoy to see people being made redundant but the message has to be sent home that Government will not tolerate corruption or dereliction of duty.

I think as a country we are done talking about the need to stamp out corruption. What we need is more decisive action to send a strong message that this country will not entertain corruption and its attendants.

We expect such arms of Government as the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the Prosecutor-General’s office and the police to act on the revelations by the auditor-general.

“Zimbabwe can’t continue entertaining this abuse of public office when we are fighting to resuscitate our ailing economy. Abuse of office is against national development.

“As a Zimbabwean, I expect action soonest otherwise the country does not deserve the position of auditor-general if her work is not taken seriously,” said s reader Tenson Kasinambayo in one of our letters to the Editor yesterday.

He was spot-on. We cannot continue to tolerate corruption as a nation and the Auditor -General’s office cannot be rendered ineffective by those that continue to flaunt rules and procedures.

Strict adherence to the modus operandi and a deliberate effort to do things in the right manner should drive Government.
The private sector will also take a cue as it seeks ways of dealing with corruption within its jurisdiction.

Those that have a penchant to take what is not theirs should be ushered into the prisons dotted countrywide. Of course we are told conditions there are not the most comfortable but it goes with the territory.

In God I Trust!

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