Letwin Mubonesi
After the Movement for Democratic Change Secretary-General Charlton Hwende called on Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate an allegation of vote-buying involving the Minister of Health Obadiah Moyo in the Lupane by-election held this year, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption responded and indicated that it wants to investigate the matter.
Hwende said, that “Today when I was travelling to the Airport I received a phone call from the Anti Corruption Commission they are interested in pursuing my complaint about the abuse of hospital drugs by Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) and the minister of health during the lupane by-election.”
This was a development after the Health Minister, Mr Obadiah Moyo wrote a letter to Zanu PF National Commissar Victor Matematanda dated July 5, 2019, ahead of Lupane by-elections confirming that the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) had been instructed to distribute medicines to the clinics in Lupane to boost the ruling party’s election campaign. The letter immediately drew widespread criticism of Zanu PF’s abuse of state resources.
MDC Secretary General Charlton Hwende then responded by writing a letter of complaint to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on the abuse of state resources by the ruling party saying that there was clear evidence of abuse of state resources to further Zanu PF’s political party’s interests and criminal abuse of office by Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo who directed NatPharm to deliver the drugs to Lupane. He added that it was a clear act of coordination between ZANU PF and the Minister’s office.
“There being clear evidence we hope ZEC will take appropriate measures as redress. The fact of complaint are that the Minister of Health and Child Care criminally abused his office to order the management of NatPharm to deliver drugs to several health facilities in Lupane to further Zanu PF campaign.”
“At the minimum it is collusion at the level of the minister and at worse it involves the highest offices in the State. We hope that you take this matter with the seriousness it deserves considering the level of confidence in Zimbabwean election by the citizens, your handling of this matter will determine whether that confidence is restored or not,” he said evoking experiences of the July 2018 elections where ZEC was accused of being pro-Zanu PF.
“The issue of abuse of State resources in favour of Zanu PF is one of the issues raised even by international observer missions in the 2018 election. We thank you in anticipation or your kind reply and look forward to the same,” said Hwende.
After the accusations and complaints had been made, Health ministry permanent secretary, Dr Mahomva in a statement refuted the claims saying the medicine supply chain management system was in place.
“In addition, the teams established that a NatPharm team was already on the ground doing its normal and routine quarterly medicines supply runs to the clinics in the district through the health ministry’s recommended Zimbabwe Assisted Pull System. No additional or extraordinary action was therefore needed or taken,”
“Let me therefore once again reassure you, the public, our donors and technical partners that the Ministry of Health teams are there to simply do their work in a professional and efficient way guided by good governance principles and nothing else. This is done for the good of all Zimbabweans regardless of gender, creed or affiliation.” She said.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has also castigated Zanu-PF for the partisan distribution of medicines to raise up support in the by-election and they also supported the move by MDC saying the party’s conduct must be investigated as it was inconsistent. The partisan distribution of medical goods and services is an affront to health for all, and the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
“The move reveals deep-seated structural barriers to health for all in Zimbabwe. Apart from just exposing the Health ministry from dabbling in political party electoral agendas, it raises questions on the criterion used by the ministry in the distribution of drugs and medical sundries.”
“As ZADHR, we believe the distribution of drugs and services must be based on population, disease-burden and current stocking levels, and not on parochial partisan political agenda.”
“ZADHR calls upon all stakeholders, including the ZACC, to investigate the minister on criminal abuse of office and bring him to account on the move,” added the statement.
They also reminded the government that health centres must be properly equipped at all times through increased funding into the sector, and that health services and goods must not be distributed on partisan political lines as it was discriminatory, adding the practice lacked the basic tenants of drug and medical consumables distribution criterion.
After the calls has been made, ZACC decided to usher in promoting zero tolerance to corruption as one of it obligation.
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