The special report, compiled by the parliamentary committee on public accounts, has unearthed "shocking abuse of public funds and state assets".

The committee recently completed its audit of state assets, an investigation prompted by assertions last year by the auditor-general that certain ministers had looted their ministries.

Among the anomalies unearthed was that 10000 youths were on the government's payroll for no other reason than that they belonged to President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

Evidence shows that all the youths were born on the same day - April 18 1980, the day Zimbabwe attained its independence from Britain.

Mines Minister Obert Mpofu made off with two top-of-the-range state vehicles, according to the report. He has also been fingered in the disappearance of diamonds belonging to the state.

MP Felix Sibanda, a member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, described Mpofu's actions regarding the vehicles as "theft". He said the mines minister should no longer be entrusted with the state's diamonds.

According to the report, at least 423 ghost names were duplicated on the government payroll and civil servants would withdraw salaries for the non-existent youth officers and expropriate the money for their personal use.

Another government department, that of the registrar-general, headed by Tobaiwa Mudede, was found to be still paying 22 employees salaries long after they had ceased to render services to the department.

Neither Zanu-PF nor the unity government has responded to the report.