LOCAL civil society organisations have devised a tracking
system to account for the US$419 million donated so far towards fighting
COVID-19 in Zimbabwe.
The COVID-19 resources tracker administered by the Zimbabwe
Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) was set up to try and expose misuse
of the donations.
The tracker can be accessed through the Zimcodd website and
it follows up all donations and allocations towards combating the pandemic in
the country to see if they were used properly, as well as allow whistleblowers
to ring bells whenever there is suspected abuse of resources.
The development comes at a time there are reports of
massive abuse of COVID-19 resources with the most high-profile case being that
of fired Health minister Obadiah Moyo who was implicated in a US$60 million
tender scam involving Delish Nguwaya’s Drax International.
Zimcodd programmes manager John Maketo on Friday told
delegates during a social accountability training programme on utilisation of
resources in the health sector that the COVID-19 resources tracker monitored
distributions of the donations.
“Expenditure tracking looks at how the donations and
government allocated funds have been utilised; whether they were used for their
intended purposes, and if the intended products were acquired and distributed,”
Maketo said.
“In a democracy, we citizens have a right to know how much
has been donated and what it has been used for. There is need for people power
in terms of whistleblowing because what happened which resulted in the arrest
of Moyo was a clear result of pressure by citizens,” he said.
Maketo said with legislators now concentrating on partisan
fights and being compromised by the whipping system in Parliament, citizens
must take action and fight corruption in the use of public funds meant for
COVID-19.
The Public Service Accountability Monitor senior programmes
officer Rachel Gondo said government was mandated through the Constitution to
account for the donated resources.
“Government needs to do a needs analysis to find out the
health requirements of citizens and ensure effective implementation of the
budget. Whenever government spends, there must be an expenditure plan.
“Our systems, laws, regulations and the members of the
public should ensure that any public official uses public finances in the
interests of the public through codes of conduct because COVID-19 has laid bare
our inefficiencies in the health system,” Gondo said.
She said government should consistently post on its website
how much has been received and spent.
Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (Sapst)
programme specialist on parliamentary procedure and processes Henry Ndlovu said
in emergencies like COVID-19, Parliament should not abrogate its oversight role
on the Executive, adding that civil society and citizens must demand
explanations from the State on how public finances are utilised.
“Civil society also needs to engage in evidence-based
advocacy in order to produce irrefutable arguments to government and
Parliament. Citizens can also petition Parliament to ensure the Public Accounts
Committee instructs the Auditor-General to audit COVID-19 funds,” he said. Newsday
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