The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has embarked on a drive to recruit competent investigators as part of efforts to strengthen its investigations unit.
The Commission has been working with officers seconded from the Zimbabwe Republic Police since its inception but will now look to employ and train professional investigators who are knowledgeable in various fields.
Speaking at the National Anti-Corruption strategy consultative workshop in Mutare on Monday, ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said 60 percent of the Commission’s resources would be channelled towards investigating corruption cases while 40 percent would go towards prevention measures.
“Corruption cases are complex so you need experts to unpack them. We are investing heavily into that area as ZACC where we want to strengthen our investigations unit so that it is manned by highly trained professionals coming from different areas. In the past, we only relied on officers seconded from the ZRP but in addition to that, we need experts from other areas to join us. We need accountants, auditors, forensic specialists, ICT specialists among others to unravel those complex corruption matters,” he said.
He said getting professionals from the private sector required the Commission to offer competitive wages, which is why it was channelling 60 percent of funds to investigations.
Comm Makamure said ZACC was also seeking to draft legislation that will offer protection to whistle blowers to ensure their protection.
“We need our whistleblowers to be protected so there is need for enabling legislation. We have come up with a Lay Bill that we have submitted to the Attorney-General’s Office for them to look into it and draft a Whistleblower Protection Act. That way more people will come forward with information,” he said.
He said the Commission was aware that the public was not happy with the delays in finalisation of corruption cases once they were before the courts and was seeking to have rules giving corruption cases priority.
“There have been appeals after appeals in the courts. And what happens if one appeals to a superior court, their appeal is not prioritised, it will join the queue, and there are many other criminal matters before the High Court and the Supreme Court. So we are asking for rules that allow corruption cases to be prioritised,” he said.
One way of ensuring that cases are prioritised is to have time-frames by which corruption cases must be disposed of in the courts, Comm Makamure added.
“If for example, we say a case should be finalised within six months, no matter the number of appeals, the court will know that in six months that matter must be finalised. It only requires a change of rules to allow that to happen.”
In addition to these rules, Comm Makamure said there was need to establish more specialised anti-corruption courts within the High and Supreme Courts. The special courts were officially launched in March last year.
“If those courts are established and an appeal is made at the High Court, the matter will be heard in the anti-corruption court. That is another way of expediting corruption cases,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba said the country needed the anti-corruption strategy urgently to address the challenges bedevilling the economy.
“Most of the challenges we have in Zimbabwe emanate from corruption at all structures of society. No one has been spared, we are all in one way or another involved in corruption. So there is need for a consensus now to say enough is enough, we cannot continue to operate as if everything is okay when everything has gone wrong. The consultations by ZACC in coming up with the strategy requires popular participation from the masses,” she said.
She said Manicaland was ready to stand up and be counted in the fight against corruption for the betterment of the nation.
