Today, 9 December 2020, is International Anti-Corruption Day and Zimbabwe joins other nations worldwide commemorate the day.
It is a day for governments, businesses, civil society and the whole of society to renew our commitment to working together to end the devastating impact of corruption on people’s lives around the world.
Apparently, according to Transparency International, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed gaping weaknesses in the ways many countries spend public resources and make decisions during crises.
Independent of COVID-19, investigative journalists’ exposés have again this year laid bare the weaknesses in the global financial system that allow public wealth stolen from poor countries to be laundered and spent in rich ones.
The crisis has demonstrated that protecting public resources and putting an end to illicit financial flows is a matter of life and death, in the most literal sense.
Meanwhile, commemorating the day, Transparency International Zimbabwe official Nqobani Tshabangu says fighting corruption should be a collective effort.
He also said there is a need for the setting up of necessary frameworks apart from the whistleblowers Act to ensure that whistleblowers are protected and also mentioned that the whistleblowers act is an important piece of legislation that Zimbabwe must take seriously.
Pertaining to whistle-blowing, Commissioner Jessie Majome pointed out that the whistleblower needs to just have some information pertaining to corruption that would be taking place and ZACC then does its own investigations.
Legislator, Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga says there must be convictions and there must not be just seizure of assets acquired through corrupt means but the assets must be forfeited.
Early this year, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo expressed frustration over the government’s lack of resolve to fight rampant corruption, amid startling revelations the country is losing up to US$1,8 billion annually due to the vice.
Meanwhile, despite promising to fight corruption, President Emmerson Mnangagwa stands accused of failing to tackle graft.
His own family has been implicated in corrupt activities.
The government has been practicing what has come to be known as “catch and release” were implicated big wigs are arrested only to be released a few hours later.
-Zwnews
