Cde Jacob Mudenda
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
SPEAKER of the National Assembly Cde Jacob Mudenda said a clause that would have established a commission to regulate salaries and perks of all employees was removed from the final draft constitution before it was adopted as the country’s supreme law last year.
Cde Mudenda said this today during a lecture to students from the National Defence College studying International Law and Zimbabwe’s Political and Legal System.
He said this while responding to a question by Senior Assistant Commissioner Shadreck Mubayiwa on what Parliament was doing to investigate cases of corruption and huge salaries being earned by some parastatal bosses.
“The constitution of South Africa established a remuneration commission which looks at the remuneration of everybody from the President, the ministers and the ordinary person.
“When our constitution was being made there was a lot of debate on it and a clause to create such a body was included in the draft.
“However, when the draft went to the management committee that clause was lost. How it was lost we do not know because we, from the technical committee of lawyers where no longer there. We need to go back to that clause that will rationalise the remuneration of everybody,” he said.
The constitution was finally adopted after a referendum held in March last year following nearly five years of haggling between Zanu-PF and the MDC formations on the contents of the supreme law and was only adopted a negotiations by the management committee that comprised negotiators to the GPA and Copac chairpersons.
The Speaker also admitted that Parliament should also have been vigorous in their oversight of operations of parastatals.
“As Parliament to some extent we went to sleep we should have done that but now we know, it is not too late to start acting,” he said.
He also said most people were being appointed to sit on boards of public institutions due to their relationships with the respective minister rather than their competences.
“Quite often there is a human problem, appointments sometimes are made and done on basis of college relationships.
“There is no general rule and these positions to the boards are also not advertised. The minister responsible will look around for people in his sphere and this looking around is constrained to only the people known to him, there is no openness there,” Cde Mudenda said.
Cde Mudenda also said Article 9 of the Constitution was clear on what was expected of not only management in public institutions.
Article 9 compels the State to implement policies and legislation to develop efficiency, competence, accountability, transparency, personal integrity and financial probity in all institutions and agencies of government at every level and in every public institution and that appointments to public offices must be made primarily on the basis of merit.
It also directs Government to take measures that expose, combat and eradicate all forms of corruption and abuse of power by those holding political and public offices.
Cde Mudenda also said there was need to adequately fund the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General so that they carry out their audits timeously.
The office is currently bedevilled by shortage of manpower and poor working conditions.