The Herald edition of August 7, 2014 carried a story in which Minister Patrick Chinamasa accused the State Procurement Board (SPB) of fuelling corruption. He called it the ‘capital city of corruption.’ He said briefcase companies are awarded tenders and this increases the cost of doing business in the country. This is surprising in our context where we would like to attract investors as part of efforts to revive the economy.
I read the story with high expectations that I would come across a possible solution. He did say “We have to do due diligence on those who tender and find out where they are going to find their supplies. We have to enhance the public procurement legislation and governance structures to minimise distortions...” but without any concrete steps that Government will take.
So, by implication the SPB does not do due diligence at the moment. So, what exactly is it doing? Are they a law unto themselves? Who is supposed to monitor the SPB? And more importantly, when did the Minister (and by extension, Government) realise that there is such corruption at the SPB? I doubt it was a new revelation; Government must have known about it for some time. And did nothing!
The fact that a billion-dollar tender was awarded to an undeserving entity is very worrying. Does this mean even I can just go to the SPB and bid for any tender? Or I have to know someone at the SPB? How many other tenders have been handled in this corrupt manner?
I found the story lacking on possible solutions to the problem, which would be of interest to me as a Zimbabwean. If a Minister is aware of such corruption, what concrete steps is he (or whoever is in charge of the SPB) going to take to eliminate the corruption? It is simply not enough for Minister Chinamasa to point out corruption where it exists; he should provide possible solutions or at least indicate when Government will deal with it. I remember mentioning on Twitter: “But leadership can't be just about pointing out problems. It should also be about suggesting possible solutions, trying to see what works and what doesn’t.’ I would like to add that sometimes leadership means asking for suggestions from others. After all, no one person or entity can know it all.
Now, more than ever before, the country needs leadership. We need serious leaders. We need leadership that leads the way and suggests solutions to the numerous problems we are faced with. We need leadership that we can believe in as a country. We need the reassurance that our leaders are not just playing to the gallery on very critical national matters. We need leadership that will defend our national interests.
So, Minister Chinamasa, what is the solution to the corruption at SPB? When are you going to destroy the ‘capital city of corruption?’ Or the smaller cities?