…Media urged to compliment ZACC efforts through deeper investigative reporting

Adding, “Most arrests in Manicaland have been of criminal abuse of office, which include high profile cases such as the arrests of the Manicaland Provincial Civil Registrar, the town planner at City of Mutare and the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) Manicaland Provincial manager. There are other cases such as the Hartzell High School headmaster case, Nyanga GMB depot case and the Mutare Teachers College principal case, which involved abuse of office,” said ZACC Manicaland head.

Ngoni Dapira

SINCE the launch of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Manicaland division in 2022, it has five convictions with four of the cases being fraud cases, the ZACC Manicaland head, George Chivi has revealed.

This was said on Monday during the inaugural two-days Anti-Corruption Reporting Workshop for Manicaland journalists organized by the anti-corruption body. A series of other training workshops for journalists will be held countrywide sensitizing media practitioners’ on their critical role in unearthing, whistleblowing and playing the oversight role on corruption cases in their respective communities.

Chivi said contrary to the beliefs of many that ZACC is a ‘toothless bulldog’ or responsible for the colloquial  ‘catch and release’ of high profile persons arrested on corruption charges, they are actually doing a great job when it comes to successful investigations that lead to the arrest of suspected corruption related culprits.

One of the two double-storey commercial buildings seized by ZACC in Mutare as unexplained wealth recovery cases pending investigations. The building downtown belongs to a prominent ‘dealer’ Believe Languna.

He said ZACC receives and investigates all cases of alleged corruption, misappropriation of funds, theft as well as abuse of power or office, both in the private and public sector. Chivi said they are open for business 24/7 and urged the public to make use of the provincial office through tip-offs on corruption cases.

“Our duty is to investigate then refer matters to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) or the courts.  We have the arresting powers, but in terms of prosecuting the suspected offenders, that is the job of the NPA. We would have successfully played our part when a culprit is successfully investigated and arrested for a trial before the courts of law,” said Chivi.

Adding, “Most arrests in Manicaland have been of criminal abuse of office, which include high profile cases such as the arrests of the Manicaland Provincial Civil Registrar, the town planner at City of Mutare and the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) Manicaland Provincial manager. There are other cases such as the Hartzell High School headmaster case, Nyanga GMB depot case and the Mutare Teachers College principal case, which involved abuse of office,” said the ZACC Manicaland head.

He said in 2023 the Manicaland investigations unit met its target of 24 cases which were referred to the NPA. ZACC deputy chairperson commissioner Kuziwa Murapa who was the guest of honour, to support what Chivi had said, added that the current 75 percent conviction rate by ZACC is very high by SADC (Southern African Development Community) standards.

The other double-storey commercial building seized by ZACC as unexplained wealth recovery cases pending investigations belonging to former officer commanding Mutare District Police who is now the Assistant Commissioner in charge of administration in Masvingo Province, Florence Marume.

Chivi said his Manicaland investigations unit will continue to press those suspected of acquiring wealth through corruption and other criminal activity, to explain how they have bought their properties.

He said in Mutare, two double-storey commercial buildings are currently seized by ZACC as unexplained wealth recovery cases pending investigations. One of the buildings uptown belongs to former officer commanding Mutare District police who is now the Assistant Commissioner in charge of administration in Masvingo Province, Florence Marume, whilst the other building downtown belongs to a prominent ‘dealer’ Believe Languna. Both are under probe after being issued with an unexplained wealth order by the High Court in 2023 and 2022 respectively.

“They are both facing fraud and money laundering charges and ZACC seized the listed assets and interdicted from disposing the buildings pending the outcome of their fraud trial or an associated civil action. Both accused are defending the allegations by ZACC’s asset forfeiture and recovery unit,” he said.

ZACC deputy chairperson commissioner Kuziwa Murapa.

Over the years ZACC has been under fire for failing to effectively deal with culprits accused of abusing public resources. Comm Murapa however argued that their cases are being investigated thoroughly. “Our mandate is to catch but we don’t know who does the release…In this regard through the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) launched in 2020, we would like to promote the multi stakeholder approach and collaboration in the fight against corruption through the media,” said Comm Murapa.

He said the inaugural engagement workshop was held in Manicaland because the province is currently riding high with the best anti-corruption reporter recipient, Tendai Gukutikwa, from The Manica Post, who scooped the inaugural Anti-Corruption Reporter of The Year award at the 2023 edition of the prestigious annual National Journalism and Media Awards (NJAMAs).

“The role of the media is appreciated to inform people of the shared national vision against corruption. We want to encourage and train journalists on how to report corruption in a systematic manner which will includes investigative reporting that complements the efforts of ZACC to unearth corruption. We wish to enhance the capacity of journalists on reporting anti-corruption cases. This includes ethical reporting practices and responsible journalism because corruption is a tricky and sensitive matter,” said Comm Murapa.

The ZACC deputy chairperson said prevention of corruption is more effective than investigating after the harm has already been done, which is why they are encouraging the signing of integrity pledges as part of a drive to encourage total mindset change in the fight against corruption. ZACC has been establishing integrity committees within public institutions and promoting the signing of integrity pledges by public officials as a strategy to prevent corruption.

Part of the journalists and ZACC officials following proceedings during the workshop.

ZACC manager for legal representation Spiwe Chafungamoyo emphasized on the need for stiff penalties against people accused of victimising whistleblowers in the Whistleblower Bill. Chafungamoyo said so far the amendments to the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act have been approved by the Cabinet.

“Through constant lobbying with Government, the beginning of the year saw Cabinet approval of the principles of two very important Bills, the Witness Protection Bill, which seeks to establish legislation for the protection of witnesses and the Public Interest Disclosure (Protection of Whistle-blowers) Bill protecting individuals that provide information regarding illicit activities within their organisations they are employed in,” said Chafungamoyo.

She said the two bills are crucial as they are expected to improve public confidence in the fight against corruption. Chafungamoyo added that for the past years, ZACC observed the victimization of witnesses before, during and after commencement of trials. This was derailing the fight as citizens were no longer confident to come forward to report or testify without adequate protection.

Following its decentralization, ZACC currently has offices in seven provinces, Manicaland, Harare, Masvingo, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Midlands and Bulawayo. ZACC manager communications and media liaison Simiso Mlevu said the next media training workshop will be held in Masvingo.

Zimbabwe’s latest corruption index by Transparency International.

According to the Transparency International’s (TI) 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Zimbabwe scored 24 on a scale from 0 (“highly corrupt”) to 100 (“very clean”). When ranked by score, Zimbabwe ranked 149th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. However, according to TI, this is a gradual improvement since 2012 when it scored 20 on the scale. It shows that efforts are being made by the Government to combat corruption.

Zimbabwe signed the first global anti-corruption instrument, the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) on 20 February 2004 and ratified it on 8 March 2007. Government is on record to affirm that corruption is a serious problem which needs to be tackled and has committed itself to fight the scourge over the years. Government has however been criticized for selective application of the law which remains a problem even under the new dispensation government in the Second Republic. ZACC however refutes that there are no sacred cows when it comes to corruption, so long there is enough evidence to arrest the culprit, which is why it invested in various experts to combat corruption.

If you know of any corruption or abuse of office case in Manicaland, please contact  ZACC Manicaland investigations unit on +263 719 840 714.