MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere has dared President Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop confusing Zimbabweans and arrest ministers involved in corrupt Covid-19 related deals.
She was addressing journalists in Harare Thursday where she identified Health Minister Obadiah Moyo, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, George Guvamatanga, and Mnangagwa’s son, Collins as people who had to be urgently investigated.
Mahere said the MDC Alliance was demanding positive action from Mnangagwa against corruption especially over the murky purchases of Covid-19 drugs and personal protective equipment by senior government officials.
“In the past few weeks, Covidgate has implicated senior government officials including those at the very, very top yet all we see are theatrics, weak investigations and the arrest of the smallest, weakest, least powerful fish,” she said.
“Corruption is killing us. Why is Obadiah Moyo, George Guvamatanga, Mthuli Ncube and Collins Mnangagwa walking free?”
The four have been implicated in the Drax International scandal in which the dodgy company was awarded a US$42 million contract without going through tender. The local representative of the company, Delish Nguwaya, has been arrested and is in remand prison after he was denied bail early this week.
Mahere went on to cite a number of high-level corruption cases that have seen their natural death.
“In 2019, we saw allegations of 17 000 tonnes of maize being imported from Tanzania at US$600 a tonne while world prices were at US$240 a tonne. There was no investigation into this allegation and the public is still left wondering who organised this contract and who benefits from it,” she said.
“According to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) itself, quoting Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ), Zimbabwe loses at least US$1.8 billion a year to corruption. However, this figure is conservative.
“Over the last few weeks, we have seen a blatant attempt by the State and its proxies to keep us distracted by side-shows masquerading as national issues.
“However, on behalf of the 2.6 million Zimbabweans who put their faith in the MDC Alliance, we are putting the State and all its operators on notice. We will not be distracted from the real issues bedevilling our nation.
“We want decisive and tangible action. We demand a public, televised inquiry into the Covidgate scandal. We are sick and tired of corruption being swept under the carpet and the perpetrators of corruption being exonerated behind closed doors to the detriment of the citizens.
“It is the citizens that pay the price for the looting. So we demand answers. It is the citizens who bear the brunt of the bad governance, so we demand accountability.” – Newzimbabwe
