ZACC commends whistleblowers

Harare New Ziana)- The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo on Thursday praised whistleblowers for contributing to the arrest of 103 corruption accused persons over the past six months.

In a statement to mark the World Whistleblowers Day, Justice Matanda-Moyo said ZACC recognizes the important role played by whistleblowers.

“ZACC has managed to make 103 arrests for corruption in 2021 alone. Seventy nine (79) dockets from these arrests have already been submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority for prosecution.
Without the whistleblowers, ZACC would not have achieved these figures,” she said.

Matanda- Moyo said ZACC was targeting to submit 180 dockets to the National Prosecution Authority this year, a 100 percent increase from the number achieved in 2020.

“It is against this background that the role of whistleblowers in achieving this target remains paramount.

“As the world commemorates this important day, ZACC urges policymakers to expedite the enactment of the Whistleblowers legislation. Already, ZACC has received reports of victimization of Whistleblowers that are vital to the nation’s fight against corruption,” said Justice Matanda-Moyo.

She added: “The Commission notes with dismay that despite its obligations to fully protect whistleblowers within the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the African Union Convention against Corruption and the SADC Protocol against Corruption, there remains a legal vacuum in the full protection of whistleblowers.”

On 23 June every year, the world observes the World Whistleblowers Day whose primary goal is to raise public awareness about the important role that whistleblowers play in combating corruption.

New Ziana