President Mnangagwa extends graft fighter Chiri’s term as AG
Zimbabwe’s graft-busting Auditor-General, Mildred Chisi’s term has been extended after Parliament approved President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s nomination in a move seen as boosting his anti-corruption drive.
Since taking office in November last year after the fall of 93-year old Robert Mugabe at the hands of the military in a de facto coup, Mnangagwa has made tackling graft a priority in a bid to revive the moribund economy.
Chiri, who has rattled her bosses with regular revelations of graft, profligacy and mismanagement of resources in government,parastatals and public institutions in her annual reports fits the bill, said Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa who said her term will be extended with effect from February 25, 2017.
“The reappointment will be carried out by the President in terms of section 340 (1) (a) of the constitution, and MPs are already familiar with the sterling work that she has carried out. She has managed to table audited financial statements of ministries and state enterprises before Parliament on time to the extent that reports of 2016 which were supposed to be tabled in Parliament by June 30 were tabled by June 1 beating the June 30 deadline,” Chinamasa said.
He said he was reinstating Chiri because of her competence, not because she is a woman. Her new term is expected to run for six years in line with the 2013 constitution.
Public Accounts Committee chairperson Paurina Mpariwa said Chiri was a hard worker who had lost friends and relatives in government due to fearlessly exposing graft.
“Chiri has done the women of this country proud. You cannot replace someone who has been working well,” Mpariwa said.
Mugabe dismissed Chiri last July but reinstated her in September after Members of Parliament across the political divide opposed his plan to replace her with Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) boss, Mike Ndudzo.
The president is required by the constitution to consult Parliament to approve the appointment of the Auditor General.
