The looting of public assets in Zimbabwe by senior ruling party officials and their favoured few continues unabated as the regime of the aged president, Robert Mugabe, staggers to its demise.

The latest episode involves the steel-making industrial giant Ziscosteel. Observers are noting that the scandal “could rock the political establishment to its foundations”. I doubt it. Wholesale thievery by those in power has been the order of the day for some time now in poor old Zimbabwe. So what is new?

Apparently a comprehensive report into the situation at Zisco has been produced. A flurry of behind-the-scenes activity in Harare this week has hushed up the report – as so many reports implicating corruption in high places have been buried in the past.

The report, done by the National Economic Conduct Inspectorate, which is controlled by the Ministry of Finance and state security agents, was distributed to a few government officials, some of whom were intimidated from leaking it to the media.

But certain things have been said by certain people. Confusion reigns. Industry and International Trade minister, Obert Mpofu, was widely quoted last week as saying "influential people" had pillaged Ziscosteel through "underhand dealings that have left the company bleeding". He is now desperately trying to withdraw his statements – saying instead that minister and MPs did not loot Zisco – but that their companies benefited from contracts while Zisco made huge losses.

And Anti-Corruption minister Paul Mangwana, who last week threatened
that those implicated would be arrested soon, was quiet this week. Mugabe himself,
vocal in justifying the brutal assault on ZCTU leaders for public protests, he has remained tight-lipped on the Zisco issue.

The state-controlled press too has gotten itself into hot water but, uncharacteristically, calling for the report to be made public. Apparently the editor’s knuckles have been severely rapped as a result.

Since Independence, Zimbabwe’s powerful and lucrative parastatal organisations have been treated as sinecures for party faithfuls and those particularly deserving of government favours. Lately, those qualifying for such favours have been, in the main, senior Army officers.

After years of Zanu (PF) misrule, the parastatal sector as a whole is now grinding to a halt. Just about every parastatal is unable to service its debts, let along operate successfully and make a profit.

For example, the National Railways of Zimbabwe recently asked the state to bail it out to the tune of Z$60 billion; while NOCZIM, the country’s sole importer of fuel, has made massive losses for more than two decades.

The Grain Marketing Board buys maize from farmers and sells it to millers. How hard can that be? And yet it constantly has to be bailed out of the red by government.

The list goes on and on - Air Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, Hwange Colliery, Tel One. Jobs for the boys, no accountability, no integrity. No economy.




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Wilf Mbanga, one of the founders of the independent Zimbabwean daily newspaper "The Daily News", is currently living in the UK. He writes about the current situation in Zimbabwe.