Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Hold Executive Branch Accountable, ZImbabwe PM Tsvangirai Tells Parliament


In an end-of-year address to Parliament, Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told the body that it must hold the executive branch of government accountable and ensure that no one - including ministers - is above its scrutiny.




VOA Studio 7 correspondent Irwin Chifera reported from the House of Assembly that Mr. Tsvangirai told members that the Parliament must be a vibrant force for democracy and accountability.



Meanwhile, the House committee on Public Accounts held hearings this week on "ghost workers" on state payrolls.



The government last month launched a census of all state workers including the work they perform, following charges that thousands of people hold political patronage jobs that require little or no real work.



Public Accounts Committee Chairman Tapiwa Mashakada told VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that his panel found in its investigation that proper procedures were not followed in the hiring of many state workers.