The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
FOLLOWING the opening of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) offices in Mutare recently, the Commission will be conducting Public Anti-Corruption Awareness campaigns across the province to educate people on how to dictate and report cases.
This follows a low uptake of cases being reported at the Mutare offices, with most local whistleblowers opting to report cases in Harare.
In an interview on the sidelines on an integrity committee workshop held recently, ZACC’s Commissioner Gabriel Chaibva confirmed the development and said the Commission’s Department of Corporate Governance, Public Education, Systems and Compliance Review will conduct awareness campaigns across Manicaland early next year.
“In January, we will be in Manicaland carrying out what we call the Public Anti-Corruption Awareness campaigns as part of our public education programmes. We have been to at least six provinces, Matebeleland North, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central. This department has the responsibility of mobilising citizens to join in the fight against corruption,” he said.
Commissioner Chaibva said they want to conscientise and educate people in Manicaland about where to report corruption as well as the meaning of corruption, so that people learn to recognise corruption.
“Corruption is a criminal offence which must be reported to ZACC and we want people in Manicaland to know that. They should also know that those kind of services have been decentralised and they can now report them in Mutare. When they eventually see people unduly becoming rich, they will understand that this is corruption and they will then be able to revoke the unexplained wealth order by reporting to ZACC,” he said.
He said the awareness campaigns will be conducted through road shows and meetings across the seven districts of Manicaland.
Commissioner Chaibva said they will choose a centre in every district where ZACC will hold the public awareness campaigns.
“We also expect institutions and individuals to also disseminate the information across the relevant districts on what they would have leant. We will have core people like teachers, headmasters, headmen and other relevant stakeholders so that they will be able to disseminate the information as part of the public education campaign,” he said.
Commissioner Chaibva said after the campaigns, people in Manicaland will be empowered and know when to detect and report corruption.
He also said ZACC’s Mutare officers are still acquainting with various elements in the province as the office is still in its infancy.
“Our Manicaland provincial offices are still new. They are less than two months old, so we still have a skeletal staff. Basically, the officers are still getting a feel of the province.
“While they are still in their learning curve, we are also referring corruption cases that would have been reported at our Harare office back to the provincial offices for further management,” said Commissioner Chaibva.
ZACC’s expansion and opening of permanent offices in Mutare is expected to see the expeditious investigations of cases involving diamonds and gold dealings as well as smuggling of fuel and second hand clothes into the country from Mozambique.
