THE reports of the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) for the year ended December 31, 2023 read like a tragicomedy with multiple cliffhangers.
There is a strong stench of multiple crimes. There is also strong evidence that most of the crimes are inside jobs, with some taxpayers as willing accomplices.
Tragically the victims are the hapless and helpless poor, who exist on the margines of our society.
The people with the fiduciary responsibility over our tax money and public assets are having a field day stealing and enriching themselves.
Where there are no opportunities for plundering, public assets are left to rot.
It is tragic that nobody is ever held accountable for this rampant plundering of public resources and dereliction of duty.
So, who will guard the guardians?
Spoiler alert, over the years, the cliffhangers from successive OAG reports have mutated and metastasized into national conditions manifesting as frustration, anger and indifference.
Remember the shocking findings year after year from the first black Comptroller and Auditor-General, Abdulman Eric Harid from 1987 to 2004.
While the public experiences an escalating tax burden from central and local governments, they are assailed with evidence of brigandage from elected officials and civil servants.
The latest OAG reports provide further evidence that the ruling elite hold the taxpayers in total contempt.
The OAG’s reports are lengthy and detailed.
A culture of unaccountability and impunity characterises the manner in which government officials deal with public resources.
There is no escaping the suspicion that public officials are confident they will never be held to account for misappropriation and negligence.
The acting auditor-general’s reports show that in many instances, issues that have been raised for years remain outstanding.
It is shocking that officials don’t bother to respond to the issues raised.
The OAG’s inquiries and recommendations are ignored, giving the impression that there is little respect for the office.
Why is Rheah Kujinga occupying this office in an acting capacity? Is that meant to compromise her important mandate?
Fortunately, she appears unaffected, telling it like it is.
Sadly, Treasury which is the custodian of public resources is one of the departments that shows contempt for the OAG.
“Treasury should act on MDAs [ministries, departments and agencies] that have not been maintaining financial records and submitting financial statements,” the OAG complained at one point.
In another instance, the OAG says: “The issue of non-preparation of financial statements across government was prevalent, especially in schools and tertiary institutions.”
Treasury should be at the forefront of addressing these issues, but it clearly is not.
How on earth would the Ministry of Finance acquire property in Bindura for US$150 000 without a proper valuation and fail to change ownership of the property? This boggles the mind.
In central and local governments, State-owned enterprises (SoEs) and parastatals, there is evidence that procurement of vehicles and other movable assets presents lucrative opportunities for theft.
For example, the Auditor-General states: “A total of three buses, 60 motor vehicles, 167 laptops and various office furniture paid for between 2020 and 2023 had not been delivered at the time of concluding the report in June 2024. Advance payments of ZWL$1,7 billion and US$2,3 million were made in procurement of these goods.”
And yet not a single person is in jail or facing charges for this.
The reports are replete with instances of poor governance in government, SoEs and parastatals.
This includes instances of weak internal controls as evidenced by unsupported expenditure, non-compliance with tax laws and regulations.
Boards and management get away with conflict of interest.
Late submission of financial statements is common, with the Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry submitting its report 14 months after the deadline.
There is clearly a critical shortage of skilled people, particularly in finance and accounting professions, which has a negative impact on government operations and service delivery.
One tragic example of this is failure to utilise ZWL$10,3 billion aimed at promoting the well-being and protection of older persons, children and basic education due to absence of an effective mechanism to identify beneficiaries.
The Auditor-General issued qualified reports for a number of entities such as the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency, Zimbabwe National Road Administration, Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency.
OAG was not persuaded that these entities had the ability to continue as going concerns.
Perhaps the worst performing ministries, according to OAG’s reports, are Mines and Mining Development and Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.
Millions in foreign and local currency payments were made by both ministries, which could not be accounted for.
This includes a huge payment of ZWL$2,3 trillion in respect of farmers’ compensation.
This lack of transparency and accountability presents rich pickings for corruption and must be investigated.
Inputs for farmers under the presidential inputs scheme were stolen, while irrigation equipment found its way to people who were not farmers.
These taxpayer funded projects always lend themselves to this sort of abuse.
At the heart of this mismanagement and pillaging in government is nepotism and the political appointment of misfits.
Meanwhile, SoEs and parastatals are hobbled by jobs for the girls and boys in total disregard of the expertise that each entity requires.
If Zimbabwe had an independent Judiciary and competent Legislature, all the civil servants implicated in the misappropriation of public funds and dereliction of duty would have been brought before the courts.
In fact, the evidence in OAG’s reports should be compelling material for the Prosecutor-General to act in pursuit of the public good.
The solution to all this rampant pillaging and grave mismanagement is a complete change of government and a root and branch reform of the civil service.
Entrenched interests in the civil service dislocates any new administration no matter how well intentioned.
The OAG’s reports disclosed crucial and urgent issues that ought to be the rallying call for engaged and informed citizens.
These are issues that cripple the real economy and continue to disadvantage the less fortunate in our society while enriching the corrupt and politically connected.
The media, civil society and the opposition in Parliament have a collective duty to keep these issues alive and demand action.
Surely there must be ways in which a class action can be pursued to ensure accountability in the SoEs, central and local governments.
The public must not wait for another shocking OAG reports.
https://convowithtrevor.com/icwt-newsletter-issue-89/
Trevor Ncube is chairman of Alpha Media Holdings and host of ICWT