When life returns back to normal after the coronavirus
outbreak has been contained, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc)
will have to restart its recruitment drive after it emerged that only nine of
the targeted 60 experts took up job offers owing to poor remuneration and
conditions of service.
The nine new recruitees are inexperienced freshly minted
college graduates. Zacc chair Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo confirmed to The
Sunday Mail that the commission was facing serious challenges in attracting
experienced experts to deal with sophisticated corruption cases.
Treasury recently gave the greenlight for the
corruption-fighting body to engage 60 new personnel who include accountants,
ICT experts, engineers, lawyers, auditors and forensic investigators.
However, the recruitment drive has hit a snag.
“The new investigators did not come because of low
remuneration; because Zacc workers are paid using the civil service salary
scale. The problem is that being a Zacc investigator is a high-risk job. Why
would one leave the legal fraternity to join Zacc where the salary is low but
the risk is high?” she said.
The commission believes investigators should ordinarily be
given risk allowances as is the case with some State departments.
“There are dangers of being a Zacc worker; therefore, our
salaries must be different from those of the civil service. Surely, something
must be done to attract critical staff if we are to effectively fight
corruption.”
The nine greenhorns that decided to take up the available
posts are said to be undergoing intensive training to deal with corruption
cases.
Some of the experts who turned their backs on the
anti-graft body are understood to be employed by State-owned enterprises and
the private sector.
Justice Matanda-Moyo said: “Our problem persists because we
cannot lure anyone. There are no benefits or remuneration that is meaningful.
“We are back to square one. However, we are working on making sure that things
change for the better.”
Liaison between Zacc and the Public Service Commission
(PSC) to review both remuneration and conditions of service are presently
underway after which, subject to a favourable outcome, new packages would be
offered to the 51 outstanding investigators.
The commission is pushing for high salaries,
anti-corruption allowances and other non-monetary incentives to lure new
skilled staff.
“We have already sent our proposals to the Public Service
Commission and they understand the gravity of the matter. We hope they are
addressing it as a matter of urgency so that the corruption fight can go on.”
Investigators who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed
they were earning $4 000 per month and did not have medical aid or pension
benefits.
They claimed that their counterparts in Zambia, for
instance, were given an anti-corruption allowance amounting to around US$4 000.
“We are doing a high-risk job but our salaries are
pathetic. Zacc is an independent commission but when it comes to salaries, we
are graded as civil servants. Why can’t we have anti-corruption allowances so
that investigators will not be tempted to take bribes,” said one investigator.
The recent reconstitution of Zacc under the stewardship of
High Court judge Justice Matanda-Moyo is believed to have added fresh impetus
to the fight against the deep-seated rot in both the public and private
sectors.
There are, however, still concerns on the pace with which
cases have been moving in the courts.
In order to mount an effective war against graft, the
commission is in the process of being repurposed and restructured.
An asset recovery unit has already been set up, while a
series of training and workshops to capacitate staff have been completed. More
workers are needed to investigate and process the cases before the commission.
Presently, there are over 700 cases under investigation, of
which 74 are high profile.
On January 27 this year, Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi
said efforts were underway to give anti-corruption officers attractive
packages.
“I had a meeting with President Mnangagwa and it was agreed
in that meeting together with Treasury that we are going to take extraordinary
measures that are going to ring-fence not only prosecutors, but every worker,
every officer who is involved in anti-corruption work,” he said.
“Those measures include creating a very effective fence
against compromise. It has been agreed that the salaries and allowances of the
anti-corruption workers will be looked at in a manner that will ensure they
will be freed and protected.”
He added that the workers would be provided with accommodation,
transportation and allowances to ensure that they are not compromised. Sunday
Mail
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