The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Business Reporter
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission will set up a special taskforce in Manicaland to deal with rampant corruption that has been reported at the country’s border with Mozambique, as the commission spreads its wings across the country.
ZACC, which is decentralising its operations, is set to establish offices in Manicaland, Masvingo, Mashonaland West and Matabeleland North as part of efforts to boost its presence in the fight against corruption.
Speaking at the United Nations Anti-Corruption Day commemorations held in Mutare this week, ZACC commissioner Mr Kuziva Murapa said the Manicaland office would be operational by the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter of next year.
“We have been mostly in Harare but we realised that a lot of people who have cases in other parts of the country may find it difficult to come to Harare, so we are going to be opening six regional offices so that we spread our wings and we are felt throughout the country.
“In Manicaland, there is a very unique type of corruption that occurs because of the border and access into Mozambique so we find that there is a lot of pilferage, leakages and non-declaration of revenue to the State revenue authorities,” he said.
As a result, the commission will set up a special taskforce similar to the one operating in Beitbridge where several Zimra officials have been arrested on allegations of smuggling vehicles into the country.
Commissioner Murapa said the country was losing millions through the smuggling of second-hand clothes and minerals through Forbes Border Post and other smaller ports of entry being used by the syndicates.
“In Manicaland there is smuggling of mabhero (second-hand clothes) and we know that diamonds and other minerals are being smuggled through the border.
“All that is revenue that is not being declared, so our special unit is going to be resident in Manicaland to look at those issues,” he added.
He said an advance team had alreadybeen in Manicaland to solicit information on cartels operating in the province.
“ZACC has an intelligence unit that has already been here for a long time and it has been to the various borders.
“They have gathered information and we now know the networks and cartels that operate here,” he said.
Mutare residents who attended the commemorations welcomed the initiative to open a regional office and said it would help crack down on illegal dealings both at the border post and at various Government departments.
“Corruption has been drawing us back as a nation so we are grateful that we now have somewhere to report cases of corruption.
“Here in Mutare we have seen cases of corruption at the Registrar-General’s Office at the border post so now it will become easy for us to report any such cases so that our country can progress,” said Mr Donald Matondo from Murambi.
Ms Jane Pukai from Florida said even those in authority needed to be monitored as some of them were part of the cartels orchestrating corrupt activities.
“Corruption has become so rampant here, especially at the border. You are asked to pay a bribe to an offocial so that your goods are exmpted from duty at the border. That is not right.
“Now that we will have an anti-corruption office, maybe we can have some sanity. Even the police need someone to monitor them because sometimes they are involved in these cartels,” she said.
Vendors who operate in the city also said there was need to fight corruption at all levels as it was affecting their source of livelihood.
“Once the office has been established here it will help, especially us vendors.
“Sometimes when police and council police raid us and take us to the police station, you find that those who pay a bribe are released much earlier than those who do not.
“And sometimes when they impound our wares, upon returning them, we find that some things are missing.
This is not right and we hope the anti-corruption team will help us fight this,” said Ms Nancy Ngonyama.
