In its fourth report submitted to the Minister of Justice,
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the then ZACC Chairperson Justice Loice
Matanda-Moyo stated that under the year of review, the commission received a
total of 684 complaints of suspected corruption cases referred from the
Investigations Department.
The report was presented in the Senate on February 6, 2024.
“Under the Combating of Corruption Programme, the newly
established Selection Committee assessed a total of 684 complaints of suspected
corruption cases referred from the Investigations Department. Of the total
number of complaints received, Harare recorded 481 cases,” the report reads.
This decrease is mainly attributed to the vigorous
prevention initiatives by the Commission, which included compliance and systems
review checks done in local authorities and public entities, leading to
strengthened operating systems and plugging corruption loopholes, thus reducing
cases of corruption,” the report reads.
It added, “From the 684 cases referred to the Selection
Committee, 308 were referred back to the Investigations Department for further
investigation, while 147 were referred to the Zimbabwe Republic Police in terms
of section 255 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. A total of 19 cases were
adjudged to be non-mandate offences and were referred to other government
departments/ministries and organizations.”
Adding her voice to the ZACC report in the Senate,
Beitbridge Senator Tambudzani Mohadi expressed concern about the 70% of cases
recorded in Harare, considering the government’s efforts to curb corruption.
“The report also shows a 38% decrease in complaints
received compared to 2021, indicating an improvement in compliance and plugging
corruption loopholes, leading to fewer cases. Therefore, to increase efficiency
in curbing corruption, I believe the following strategies can be beneficial.
ZACC should actively engage in international cooperation with other
anti-corruption agencies and organizations, such as the United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the African Union (AU), which have vast experiences
from other countries and can adapt successful approaches to the Zimbabwean
context,” she said.
Mohadi explained that engaging international bodies allows
ZACC to establish channels for international cooperation in investigations and
mutual legal assistance.
“Corruption often transcends national borders, involving
illicit financial flows, money laundering, and transnational bribery,” she
noted.
Furthermore, Mohadi said some corruption hotspots, such as
border towns, have been neglected.
“A lot of corruption happens around these towns, and if
ZACC could expand its reporting offices to these areas, it would make it more
convenient for whistleblowers. Decentralisation to border towns would improve
the commission’s effectiveness in conducting comprehensive compliance
assessments and spot checks around these institutions,” she said.
Mohadi also stated that corruption not only affects the
delivery of public services and misallocates resources but also decreases
investor confidence. CITE
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