At large with John Makumbe: ALOOTER CONTINUA

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John Makumbe

‘Matsotsi haagerani (Thieves look after each other)’

Media reports on the recent, and not so recent, looting of Zisco finances by Zanu (PF) officials confirm what most Zimbabweans have long suspected - that the level of asset stripping taking place under Robert Mugabe’s watch has risen to astronomical proportions. It is unfortunate, however, that he sits there like a zombie, incapable of stopping the rot, let alone arresting and prosecuting any of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. In the past, government and ruling party officials used to be so frightened of what Mugabe would say that they would be panic-stricken whenever they did something that the “dear leader” disapproved of. Today, they carry on looting regardless of his remonstrations and much fist-shaking from the spent force that is Mugabe.

But there have to be good reasons for this reckless disregard for presidential authority by Mugabe’s minions as demonstrated through the Zisco stories. It is possible that the looters are aware that Mugabe has become so impotent that his bark is much worse than his bite. He threatens what he has neither capacity nor interest to undertake. It is therefore quite safe just to ignore him and carry on looting. After setting up the much-touted Anti-Corruption Commission, Mugabe and Zanu (PF) proceeded to uproot the commission’s teeth, thereby making it harmless to the looters.

A second possible reason for Mugabe’s impotence may be that he himself has long ceased to be “holier than thou”, and has small and big “sins” that he has committed as well. Some of his underlings are aware of these, and will not hesitate to disclose them should they be threatened by the old man. We have not forgotten that some time last year Mugabe threatened senior Zanu (PF) and government officials who had acquired more than one farm from the grand invasion with punishment. Recently, it has been disclosed that there are still numerous such cases, and none of them has been punished. It is possible that after making the threat, Mugabe, given his age, went to sleep on the job and forgot all about the threat. But it is equally possible that he himself has more than one farm and cannot challenge fellow looters in this regard.

Was it only last year that Mugabe was ranting and raving about lacklustre performance by some of his ministerial “wives”? The media then speculated that a cabinet reshuffle was imminent. Twelve moons down the road, nothing has happened. Good old Joseph Made, minister of Agriculture, has sweated himself sick after Mugabe specifically mentioned his ministry as a non-performer. I shudder to think of how much he may have spent on traditional healers to safeguard his position. The “muti” (magic) seems to be working; Mugabe has forgotten all about the matter.

But back to the Zisco looters, they seem to have used every trick in the book to illegally get at the parastatal’s resources. According to the story published in The Zimbabwe Independent (3-9 Nov. 2006), they used such corrupt methods as claiming large unaccounted for allowances, dubious contracts, supplies over-pricing rip-offs, non-competitive procurement procedures, as well as unwarranted sitting fees for managers, and fees for public relations campaigns. The list could easily be endless.

Corruption demands that its perpetrators be highly innovative, and this comes easily to an evil mind. Efforts are underway to suppress the truth from being exposed. It is feared that the Zisco scandal could scare away foreign and local investors. That is actually ridiculous since there are none on the horizon given Zimbabwe’s continued deterioration as an investment destination. Will anyone be arrested and prosecuted for this corruption? I have my doubts. Matsotsi haagerani (Thieves look after each other).