Harare, (New Ziana) – Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Whistleblowers and Witness Protection Bill, which seeks to protect individuals who provide information on corrupt activities within organisations and by individuals.
Announcing the approval at a post-Cabinet media briefing, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Jenfan Muswere said the Bill will provide a department within the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) that protects witnesses.
“Cabinet considered and approved the Whistleblowers and Witness Protection Bill, 2025. The Bill provides a framework within which whistleblowers can disclose information regarding conduct inimical to the public interest without the whistleblower suffering any threat or harm, and also provides for the protection of witnesses.
“The Bill further provides for the establishment of a Witness Protection Unit within the National Prosecuting Authority as well as a Witness Protection Appeal Tribunal,” he said.
Following the Cabinet approval, the Bill will be submitted to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who will then sign it into law.
Currently Zimbabwe does not have a stand-alone law that sets out guidelines for protecting persons who report incidents of corruption and misconduct, whether by public officials, state agencies, private corporations and individuals.
The country currently relies on its Constitution, the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment Act, Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).
The enactment of a specific Witness Protection Act, which has been in development since at least 2020, is expected to see an increase in public participation in the fight against the vice, which has reached endemic levels and President Mnangagwa is on record declaring it the number one enemy to development.
On Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, Zimbabwe scored 21 on a scale from 0 (“highly corrupt”) to 100 (“very clean”). When ranked by score, Zimbabwe ranked 158th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.
Zimbabwe will be joining a few other African countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Kenya and other jurisdictions like the United States, which have laws that guarantee the protection of witnesses.
The country also lacks a protection from employer reprisals linked to disclosures of possible corrupt practices and misconduct against employees who report such misconduct.
Meanwhile, Dr Muswere announced that the Cabinet considered and approved the Deposit Protection Corporation Amendment Bill, which seeks to align the Deposit Protection Corporation legislation with international best practice.
“It provides a regulatory framework on insolvency for troubled banking institutions, and empowers the Deposit Protection Corporation to act as a liquidator for failed contributory institutions. The amendment will also incorporate microfinance institutions as contributory institutions and align the Deposit Protection Corporation Act with the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act,” he said.
New Ziana
