The integrity pledge was adopted last week during a high
profile national anti-corruption strategy steering committee meeting of the
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), which was held in Harare.
This comes as Zacc has also signed agreements with law
enforcement agencies in a number of countries, including some well-known tax
heavens around the world, as it bids to recover millions of United States
dollars stashed outside the country.
“As part of measures to prevent corruption of employees in
the private and public sector, members of Parliament and political parties will
be required to commit to the principles of integrity and accountability.
“After committing, if anyone then engages in unethical
conduct Zacc will hold you accountable.
“This is part of our corruption prevention strategy and the
high-level steering committee will oversee implementation of the strategy and
ensure that all necessary statutes are enacted,” Zacc spokesperson, John
Makamure told the Daily News On Sunday yesterday.
The integrity pledge binds people to practice good
governance based on transparency, accountability and fairness.
Some of its underpinning beliefs are that corruption is a
major obstacle to the economic, political and social development of the country,
and that all stakeholders such as the government, public sector, private
sector, political parties and the citizenry have a role to play in combating
corruption.
“Realising that corruption in political systems
fundamentally undermines integrity of political office and democratic political
office and democratic political process … political parties and and their
members pledge to observe the principles of honesty, integrity, ethical conduct
and accountability including not accepting or giving bribes or being involved
in any corrupt practices
“To observe principles of honesty, integrity, ethical
conduct and accountability, to promote awareness in the fight against
corruption and promote integrity in key issues, to follow probity and the rule
of law and zero tolerance to all forms of corruption,” the integrity pledge
reads in part.
This comes as graft has been cited as one of the major
problems hindering the stability and development of Zimbabwe’s economy.
In the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2020,
Zimbabwe is ranked 157 out of 180 countries.
The CPI gives an overview of how businesspeople and experts
perceive corruption in the public sector, and this index usually has a direct
bearing on foreign direct investment.
This also comes as Zimbabwe’s corruption fight has often been hampered by the duplication of roles among crime-fighting agencies mandated to deal with graft.
Recently, Zacc chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo revealed that
friction between her body, the police and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit
(Sacu) in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Office was retarding the fight against
graft.
In March, police commissioner Erasmus Makodza also told a
Harare magistrate court that he was arrested the previous month by Zacc for
alleged abuse of office after he declined to withdraw fraud charges against
alleged land baron Felix Munyaradzi.
Makodza claimed that Munyaradzi was working with a Zacc
investigator and a police officer to nail him and has since lodged a complaint
with the police, who are investigating the matter. Daily News
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