Zimbabwean ministers and deputies declare assets

HARARE, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean cabinet ministers and deputies have declared their assets to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in line with a directive tailored to curb corruption.

The state-run newspaper The Sunday Mail reported Sunday that the exercise involved written declarations of immovable property, business interests and movable assets worth at least 100,000 U.S. dollars.

Chief Secretary to the president and cabinet Misheck Sibanda confirmed that senior government officials have heeded the directive.

"The president has been furnished with the list of declared assets and he will direct government on the next step of action," said Sibanda.

The focus of Mnangagwa's government is to ensure that the "Zimbabwe is Open for Business" campaign succeeds. There is greater need for transparency at the highest level and declaration of assets is one tool that can be used to ensure public confidence.

Mnangagwa set the tone for the new dispensation at his inauguration in November 2017, saying: "As we focus on recovering our economy, we must shed misbehaviors and acts of indiscipline which have characterized the past. Acts of corruption must stop forthwith and where they occur, swift justice must be served." Enditem