Some members of President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party on Wednesday blocked parliament from introducing a motion calling for the investigation of alleged corruption and shady deals at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe before the formation of the unity government in 2009.
Zanu PF’s Goromonzi lawmaker Paddy Zhanda was blocked by his colleagues from introducing the motion following a private meeting by some party members who are believed to have developed cold feet fearing that they will be linked to massive corruption at the bank.
Both formations of the Movement for Democratic Change are expected to push for the introduction of the motion set to focus on non-core business activities like the discredited Zanu PF-sanctioned farm mechanization program and pilfering of company and donor funds by the RBZ.
The central bank, which owes private firms, non-governmental organizations and suppliers of various goods and services millions of dollars, stopped engaging in quasi-fiscal activities soon after the formation of the coalition government.
The RBZ is blamed for the collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar and record hyperinflation between the year 2000 and 2008.