THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has launched
a massive crackdown targeting senior Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers
implicated in corruption.
Already, some of ZRP’s top brass, mainly from the Criminal
Investigations Department (CID), have been arrested and are answering to
corruption charges in the courts.
Police sources say investigations, which could net
high-profile officers, have been intensified over the past two weeks.
The blitz is being spearheaded by Zacc working in collaboration
with the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (Sacu) housed in President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s office.
Government and police sources told the Zimbabwe Independent
this week that Mnangagwa has also further instructed ZRP to start procuring
vehicles through state-owned Central Mechanical and Engineering Department
(CMED) following revelations of rampant corruption involving the procurement of
vehicles and other equipment used in police operations.
The sources said the matter came to light when anomalies in
the procurement of vehicles were uncovered. There were also questions about
circumstances that led to the force running out of uniforms.
Zacc, together with Sacu, are also understood to have
instituted investigations around what sources described as the “miraculous
disappearance of dockets” as well as abuse of office by senior police officers.
“The whole organisation is in a mess, if truth be told,” an
official said.
“There are no uniforms now and officers with old and torn
uniforms cannot get them replaced. There have been allegations of corruption in
the procurement division, particularly regarding vehicles. You will remember
that government last month decided that police needed to be given new
operational vehicles and before that the Office of the President and Cabinet
assessed the previous procurements and realised serious anomalies which are now
subject to a wide-ranging investigation. So virtually no one is being spared,
not even the commissioner-general and his deputies.”
As part of the blitz, Sacu last week arrested and dragged
to court a top CID officer Thomas Mabgwe, who is facing bribery charges for
allegedly receiving two residential stands from businessman Felix Munyaradzi’s
company, Delatfin Civil Engineering.
Magbwe was the investigating officer in the case in which
Munyaradzi, now out on ZW$55 000 bail, is facing charges of allegedly selling
state land and stands, which had not be serviced.
Munyaradzi allegedly duped a number of people, including
senior police officer Erasmus Makodza.
Mabgwe works in the ZRP CID Headquarters Legal Department
and has arrested many high-profile people on fraud charges. Mabgwe is currently
in custody after the court last Friday denied him bail.
To date other top police officers that have been arrested
include assistant commissioner Obey Moyo as well as investigators, Claudious
Majonga, Aaron Karuru and Naboth Nyachega.
“As we speak, there are top people who may soon be
arrested. In fact, the Sacu has been trying to arrest one of the deputy
commissioners-general, but somehow could not effect the arrest. We don’t know
how long and what it is going to take,” an official said.
Zacc chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo confirmed the
investigations in an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent yesterday, but
declined to give details claiming doing so could compromise their work.
“Yes, the investigations are going on, but we don’t
normally confirm investigations which will be compromised through reporting. So
when we are ready we will let you know,” she said.
Sacu chairperson Thabani Mpofu also declined to comment
saying: “When everything is ready you shall be notified”.
Contacted for comment, Police Commissioner-General Godwin
Matanga, in a telephone interview, dispelled the corruption reports saying all
ZRP procurements were done procedurally through open tenders.
“We normally buy our vehicles through open tender and we
are very transparent. Maybe it is the other government departments that were
given that instruction (to do procurements through CMED),” Matanga said,
professing ignorance about any corruption investigation targeting the police
chiefs.
Matanga is deputised by four deputy commissioners-general
who are responsible for administration, operations, human resources and crime.
Last year, a top ZRP officer, assistant commissioner Clever
Macheka, was implicated in a well-orchestrated police corruption scam by a
subordinate who was eventually granted protection by the High Court after
exposing the alleged dirty deals.
Macheka’s alleged corrupt activities were exposed when his
junior, an assistant inspector, a Mutindi approached the High Court challenging
his unlawful transfer after exposing extortion scams at police stations
orchestrated by top cops. Mutindi dragged Macheka, the chief staff officer
human resources at Police General Headquarters and Matanga to court after he
was transferred from Hatfield Police Station to four other stations within a
13-month period during the course of last year.
Efforts to get a comment from the OPC chief secretary
Misheck Sibanda were fruitless as he was not responding to calls on his mobile
phone. Presidential spokesperson George Charamba was also not answering calls.
Zimbabwe Independent
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