The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-Southern Africa) join other progressive voices in condemning the behavior of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in obstructing the course of justice by blocking the operations of the Zimbabwe Anti- Corruption Commission to conduct searches in some State Owned Enterprises.
For a long period of time Zimbabweans in general had queried on the transparency and accountability of operations by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Indigenization and related units. The intended investigations would have cleared the negative perceptions the public have on the operations of the said departments as they are key in national development.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police,by blocking the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) officials, who had a search warrant to enter offices of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) to investigate acts of corruption, the ZRP is acting outside its constitutional obligations to safe guard the interests of the country and giving an impression that there some sacred cows before the law. Mr. Alouis Munyaradzi Chaumba, the Regional Coordinator of ACT-Southern Africa requested relevant authorities to intervene urgently in order to enable ZACC to carry out its duties and responsibilities in the most effective and efficient manner. Any further delays will result in crucial information being destroyed which will waste the Commission’s efforts . “When are the Zimbabwean police going to be professionalized? This is long overdue. They should leave the Anti-Corruption Commission to carry out its work. Why did they set up the commission when they do not want it to work? The police chief, Augustine Chihuri, has failed to lead the police force. He has totally failed and it high time that he is forced into retirement”
The mining sector is one of the sectors in which mineral resources are being looted, through acts of corruption. Many officials in the sector have accumulated wealth, which they cannot justify looking at their salaries. The Marange diamonds have largely been looted for personal gain.
The ACT –Southern Africa is pleased with the current efforts by ZACC to curb corruption since corruption is one of the key obstacles to development in Zimbabwe. Together and working collaboratively, another corrupt free Zimbabwe is possible.
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Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa c /o Non State Actors Forum – Zimbabwe
46 Lawson Avenue, Milton Park,
P. O. Box A1782,
Avondale,
Harare, Zimbabwe
Telephone: +263773302830
e-mail: actsouthernafrica@gmail.com
Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-Southern Africa) is a regional, non-governmental and non-political organisation that was set up in 2004 to campaign against corruption in Southern Africa. It is registered in Zimbabwe as a Trust (Notarial Deed No. MA147/2004) and as a non-profit making organisation in South Africa under the Non-Profit Organisations Act, 1997 (Registration No. 045-923-NPO).
