TO win the anti-corruption war, Zimbabweans must be empowered to hold office bearers both in the public and private sector to account, while plans are afoot to introduce anti-corruption curricula from ECD to tertiary education, President Mnangagwa has said.
He was speaking during a virtual commemoration of the 5th
African Anti-Corruption Day yesterday, where he also launched the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Strategic plan for 2021 to 2023, a roadmap for the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission to fulfil its mandate.
This comes as the Second Republic has put in place multiple
mechanisms to tackle the scourge of corruption, which remains one of the
greatest threats to the country and Africa’s development.
President Mnangagwa said his administration will not shy
away from taking corruption by the horns as it has the debilitating effects of
retarding economic growth and development.
“Corruption prevention programmes should be strengthened,”
he said.
“These should include systems and compliance checks, the
introduction of curricula on corruption, ethics and integrity in schools from
ECD level right up to universities.”
The African Anti-Corruption Day was held under the theme
“Regional Economic Communities: Critical factors in the implementation of the
African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC)”.
“As we commemorate this year’s African Anti-Corruption Day,
let us redouble our efforts to end the scourge of corruption towards an Africa
free of corruption,” said President Mnangagwa.
“To succeed, the fight against corruption requires a
multi-stakeholder approach.
“To this end, my Government stands committed to the
establishment of democratic, transparent, accountable, strong, and efficient
institutions in our great country. Our vision of an upper-middle-income economy
status by 2030 will be achieved if we collectively condemn corruption in a
frank manner.
“Citizens must be empowered to actively demand
accountability. The leadership across all sectors, political and economic
spheres at all levels are challenged to be disciplined and execute their duties
with integrity and professionalism.
“The interests of our people and the nation must always
come first.”
Zimbabwe has taken concrete steps to tackle the bane of
corruption, with the Second Republic strengthening bodies like the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to execute their roles with minimal
hindrance.
Apart from ZACC, police and the Special Anti-Corruption
Unit have also been mandated to go a gear up in the fight against corruption.
“Today, I am pleased to be launching the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Strategic plan for 2021 to 2023 which is a roadmap for the
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to fulfill its vision of a citizenry and
institutions that uphold integrity, good governance for a corruption-free
Zimbabwe by 2030,” said President Mnangagwa.
This comes after President Mnangagwa last year launched the
National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which will run until 2024 as part of the
broader fight against corruption, with the national steering committee that
comprises senior Government officials, legislators, public and private sector
as well as civic society already in place.
The integrity pledges, which will be signed by senior
officials and members of political parties, have been drafted.
Harnessing ICT, the President said, laws will be passed to
strengthen anti-corruption legislation, while at the same time public entities
are directed to put in place technology-based procedures and processes which
curtail and reduce the use of discretionary power by public officials.
“Those positions of authority in public and private
sectors, as well as those in the civic society, in community-based
organisations, are challenged always to uphold principles of good corporate
governance, transparency and accountability,” said the President.
“Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs is urged to expedite the amendment of the Whistle-blower
and Protection Act to protect our citizens and motivate them to bring forward
any suspected cases of corruption.
“The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission is extorted to
increase the institution’s capacity to recover ill-gotten wealth through the
asset recovery unity. Collaborating with countries of origin should be
increased to ensure the freezing of ill acquired assets and ensuring
repatriation of the stolen or illegally acquired funds.
“Perpetrators of corruption stand warned that they cannot
hide, the long arm of the law will surely catch up with them. I am optimistic
that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission strategic plan will go a long way
to combating corruption and improving transparency, accountability systems in
all sectors of the economy.”
President Mnangagwa said Government will continue to
support the work of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission as the main
institution mandated by the Constitution to combat corruption.
“I urge the National Prosecuting Authority, the Zimbabwe
Republic Police and all the old the key stakeholders in the anti-corruption
chain to work in unison professionally and effectively in the discharge of
their mandate without any fear or favour,” he said.
With corruption often going beyond borders, the President
underscored the importance of creating synergies and collaborations on the
African continent to root the malpractice which is estimated to cost the
continent US$50 billion annually.
“Corruption is indeed among the greatest threats
bedevilling the African continent; it barricades sustainable socio-economic
development and the betterment of livelihoods of our citizens,” said President
Mnangagwa.
“The scourge of corruption is all-encompassing and rooted
in both public and private sectors, as well as among non-state actors. It often
manifests through the deliberate manipulation of rules and expropriation of
public resources for personal or group use. The consequence of this maleficence
is that the majority of the citizens are affected, while development is
retarded or deferred.” Herald
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