Perrence Shiri's ministry fails to account for $2 billion

Published: 11 July 2019

OPPOSITION parties have expressed anger over the shambolic accounts at the Agriculture ministry which saw it using $2 billion budget with no supporting documents. This came out this week when the Tendai Biti-led Public Accounts Committee (Pac) grilled Agriculture ministry permanent secretary Ringson Chitsiko to explain how the $2 billion was used in 2017.

Biti said the money was just spent without documents.

"Shockingly, $1,5 billion was transferred by Treasury outside the PMFS (Public Finance Management System) to GMB via the ministry of Agriculture in 2017. "There were no supporting vouchers or documents; an additional $700 million is also unaccounted for. That means $2,1 billion or half the 2017 budget was lost by one ministry alone."

MDC secretary for Agriculture Allan Norman Markham said it is worrying that "the same people who are failing to account for such huge amounts are the same people who are still managing the accounts of the ministry.

"These people must account for this money. The state of agriculture is in bad shape and it's worrying to see the ministry spending such amount without any document, they are abusing money while our agriculture sector is in a bad state."

MDC-T's vice president Obert Gutu said government must take action on such reports. "The Auditor-General's report should always be taken very, very seriously if Zimbabwe is to effectively eliminate corruption within the public sector.

"You will also realise that the AG's report chronicles detailed and systematic abuse of both financial and material resources in several other government departments, State-owned enterprises and local authorities, both urban and rural.

"The rot is deep and insipid. It stinks to high heavens. Some of us derive comfort from recent remarks by the newly-appointed Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) chairperson, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo to the effect that her Commission is busy going through the AG's report.

"Very soon, we expect Zacc to crack the whip and crack it very, very hard or else the anti-corruption crusade will be just empty talk; all froth and no beer. "The jury is still out. The people are watching.
- dailynews

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