We’ll be ruthless against corrupt officials, vows PG

Prosecutor General Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo has warned that her office will descend heavily on corrupt elements, declaring that the anti-graft fight will be ruthless and uncompromising.

 

She was addressing delegates in Bulawayo at the National Prosecuting Authority’s Strategic Plan Review Workshop, where she made it clear that Zimbabwe’s anti-graft crusade has entered a new phase — one that will leave no sacred cows standing.

 

“We have secured 17 convictions in high-profile corruption cases,” the former Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson said.

 

“Our resolve is best demonstrated by landmark rulings that are sending shockwaves to the corrupt.”

 

Citing the Hurungwe Rural District Council case, where three senior officials were jailed for a combined 174 years, Matanda-Moyo said the message was unmistakable.

 

“Luke Karavina and others got 70 years each for four counts, getting sentences as high as 18 and 16 years per count,” she said. “We are not merely securing convictions — we are sending a message that the era of impunity is over.”

 

The Prosecutor General said the country’s anti-corruption courts are now operating with precision and purpose.

 

“The criminal justice delivery system frowns on corruption,” she said. “Let me be unequivocal — in the fight against corruption, there are no sacred cows.”

 

Matanda-Moyo also turned the spotlight inward, saying the NPA is purging corruption from within its own ranks.

 

“The conviction of Pardon Dziwa, one of our prosecutors, and the ongoing trials of others, including those here in Bulawayo, demonstrate our ironclad commitment to internal accountability,” she said.

 

Dziwa, a former public prosecutor, is serving an eight-year prison sentence after demanding a US$20,000 bribe from gold smuggler Henrietta Rushwaya.

 

Matanda-Moyo said the National Prosecuting Authority’s intensified reforms are already delivering results, with a 74.2% case clearance rate achieved by the third quarter of 2025.

 

“We achieved a historic reduction in the backlog of murder cases through our specialised backlog elimination task force,” she said. “The Midlands Special High Court Circuit cleared 137 out of 150 outstanding cases — a 91% clearance rate with a stunning 98% conviction rate.”

 

Her message was unmistakable — the anti-graft net is tightening, and those caught in it will face the full weight of justice.

 

ZiFM