The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) revealed in its 2022 annual report that Harare accounted for the highest number of suspected corruption cases, at over 70%.
In her fourth report to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the then Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Justice Louis Matanda Moyo, stated that during the year of the review, the Commission received a total of 684 complaints regarding suspected corruption cases referred from the Investigations Department. .
The report was submitted to the Senate on February 6, 2024.
Within the framework of the anti-corruption programme, the newly formed selection committee evaluated 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.
This decrease was mainly due to the strong prevention initiatives taken by the Authority, which included compliance checks and systems reviews conducted in local authorities and public bodies, which resulted in strengthening operating systems and closing corruption loopholes, thus reducing instances of corruption.
“Of the 684 cases referred to the selection committee, 308 were referred to the Investigations Department for further investigation, while 147 cases were referred to the Zimbabwe Republic Police under Section 255 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” she added. A total of 19 cases were ruled as non-commissioned offenses and were referred to other government departments/ministries and organisations.
Adding her voice to the Senate Anti-Corruption Committee report, Beitbridge Senator Tambudzani Mohadi expressed concern over the 70% of cases recorded in Harare, taking into account government efforts to curb corruption.
“The report also shows a 38% reduction in complaints received compared to 2021, indicating an improvement in compliance and closing corruption loopholes, leading to fewer cases. Therefore, to increase efficiency in reducing corruption, I believe the following strategies can be useful 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 extensive experience from other countries and can adapt successful anti-corruption approaches. She said: Context Zimbabwe.
Mahadi explained that the involvement of international bodies allows the Anti-Corruption Center to create channels for international cooperation in investigations and mutual legal assistance.
She noted that “corruption often transcends national borders, and includes illicit financial flows, money laundering, and transnational bribery.”
Moreover, Mahdi said that some corruption hotspots, such as border towns, have been neglected.
“A lot of corruption happens around these towns, and if ZACC can expand its reporting offices to these areas, that will make it more convenient for whistleblowers,” she said. Decentralizing border towns would improve the commission’s effectiveness in conducting comprehensive assessments of compliance and operations. Unannounced inspections of these establishments.
Mahadi also stated that corruption not only affects the delivery of public services and misallocation of resources, but also reduces investor confidence. Site
