Own Correspondent|HOME Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Cain Mathema who is under Gender Commission investigations on corruption has said there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption and even other Cabinet Ministers found on the wrong side of the law will be arrested.
Mathema was recently sucked into a row about sexual abuse at the Department of Immigration which is now at the centre of investigations by the Zimbabwe Gender Commission.
The commission is investigating reports of sexual abuse where Mathema was pointed as having used his authority to cover up sexual abuse claims where Registrar-General Clemence Masango is fingered.
One of the complainants revealed that she had requested a meeting with Mathema over the issue but the minister’s response had left her stunned.
“The minister (Mathema) agreed to my request, but just dismissed me off-hand, arguing I should not have resigned because of ‘mere sexual abuse’. It seems the minister wanted me to suffer in silence. This is why women are suffering because we have leaders who are not empathetic to their cause,” Nyamuremba said accusing permanent secretary in the ministry, Melusi Matshiya, of protecting those accused of misdemeanours.
Nyamuremba resigned her job citing the sexual harassment that Mathema allegedly covered up.
Speaking in Bulawayo yesterday after taking part in the provincial clean-up exercise in areas around Ross Camp and at Ross Camp Police Station, Mathema said Government is intolerant of corruption and will arrest anyone involved in destroying the country’s economy.
Minister Mathema said even Ministers or chief executives of private companies found to be corrupt will be arrested.
“If you look at the papers, a lot of people are being arrested on corruption charges every week. This is done by police and other systems, the Anti-Corruption Commission; people are appearing in courts. We are doing all we can to fight corruption as the New Dispensation. Nobody should earn what they didn’t work for. I’m a Minister and as Minister it’s easy for me to use my position in order to access what I’m not supposed to have. Whether I’m a Minister or chief executive, if I’m found to be corrupt the law has to take its course. Corruption is not only in Government but it is right across the spectrum even in the private sector,” said Minister Mathema.
He said no one will be spared in the fight against corruption.
“As you push your broom (clean up) it should also click in your mind that this is how we want to clean corruption. We need to remove corruption because corruption makes our country dirty and makes other people fail to achieve what they want to achieve. So let us all be clean and smart and all our streets must be clean,” said Minister Mathema.
He said as scores of people and organisations take to the streets on the first Friday of every month to embark on the national clean-up exercise, the same attitude should be employed in fighting corruption.