On Monday evening, journalists gathered at the ZANU PF headquarters in Harare where ZANU PF Youth League had called for a presser.
The no holds barred press conference was addressed by the ZANU PF Youth League Deputy Secretary Lewis Matutu who was evidently in a no-nonsense mood.
He raised serious allegations against top politicians and government officials accusing some of them of being the kingpins of the illegal foreign currency dealings on the streets.
Some were accused of being land barons while others were fingered in illegal diamond trading among other vices.
The firebrand politician even went to the extent of challenging the Zimbabwe Republic Police to move in and arrest the suspects who were fingered by the militant youth league.
“If the police have heard what we have said, especially the Propol (Officer Commanding Province), then they should start work, we have heard that they catch criminals but under-declare monies they would have seized or get bribed,” charged Matutu.
Matutu‘s doubt in the competence of the law enforcement agents in delivering their mandate served as a microcosm of the macrocosm.
He spoke for the entire citizenry who have questions in the work ethics of local public institutions, be it in justice delivery system, law enforcement and the bodies appointed to fight corruption.
Absence of trust and faith in the institutions mandated to deal with corruption is evident across the social strata from rural Dotito to upmarket Borrowdale Brook or Matsheumlope in Bulawayo.
“We will give them a chance, hopefully they will act,” said Matutu making reference to the cops at the Monday presser.
This shows the lack of faith we have as a people in our supposed custodians of the law.
This challenge by the Youth League raises serious issues about the police who have been accused of under declaring monies they seize from individuals suspected to be involved in illegal foreign currency dealings .
The low conviction rate of high profile corruption cases at the courts is worrisome.
Allegations against Obert Mpofu have been sticking on him for a long time to an extent that businessman and miner Lovemore Kurotwi took him to court for demanding a $US10 million bribe.
He has also been accused of diamond looting at Chiadzwa but no action has been taken against him.
He has also deliberately neglected to clean his name in public.
Mpofu in fact in 2018, he refused to appear before Temba Mliswa chaired Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy when summoned to give evidence regarding diamond mining activities under his watch as minister.
A lot of high profile corruption cases at the courts are deferred until the cases die.
Does this mean President Emmerson Mnangagwa appoints people who are not clean, people who have a tainted background?
This gives rise to the question, whose tortoise is this? Mnangagwa is on record condemning corruption and the latest move by the youth league has given rise to speculation that the President is closing in on some of his associates who are perceived to be corrupt.
Some analysts believe that this is the tell-tale signs of an internal fight within ZANU PF and this assertion is well backed up with the recent tweet from Nembudziya Member of Parliament Mayor Wadyejena who has accused the group who purportedly exposed corruption as acting in a G4O way.
“We have a blackslid to the Grace (Mugabe) where G-40 youths used extortion against citizens to avoid public lynchings.
“A country cannot be dictated by a bunch of youthies at a presser, do they even understand the consequences of alleging corruption by head of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,” read his tweet.
Some analysts are question whether the Zanu PF youth leaders are not a pawn in the bigger game of political chess amid revelations that they are factions in the revolutionary party.
Is this not another November 21 project where Zimbabweans are made to fight wars they do not understand?
The ZANU PF political jigsaw puzzle is forever hard to solve.
