Titled “Corruption cases: Lest We Forget: Bad Leadership Examples for Accountability, Transparency and Integrity in Zimbabwe”, the report names senior government officials as
having been implicated in major corruption cases in the country. Most of the cases were never finalized and appear to have been forgotten.
Alouis Munyaradzi Chaumba, the Regional Coordinator of ACT-Southern Africa, castigated the Zimbabwean leadership for engaging in acts of corruption and also condoning such acts on the part of their associates, relatives and friends.
“Since independence, we have been witnessing many corruption cases in which leaders who are supposed to be exemplary were actively engaging in corruption,” said Chaumba.
“It appears that people join politics in order to amass wealth and nothing else. We know some individuals who had nothing but now they are filthy rich. As an organization we are demanding that all such cases should be revisited and investigated. We honestly feel that all the individuals who have been implicated since Zimbabwe’s independence should not participate in any election at any level until cleared. ”
The ACT-Southern Africa report highlights cases that include: Diamond Scandals, the looting of the War Victims Compensation Fund, the VIP Housing Scam, the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO) Scandal, the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) Scandal, the Kondozi Estate Looting, the Willowvale Scandal, the Fertiliser Scandal, the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) Scandal, and the Harare Airport Extension Scandal to name but a few.
Chaumba added that police and other law enforcement bodies did not investigate the majority of cases in which senior government officials are implicated.
“It is sad that the police, the anti-corruption commission and the attorney general’s office deliberately refuse to investigate cases in which senior government officials are implicated. Let me reiterate that the rule of law should reign supreme and all such cases should be investigated without any form of discrimination and the culprits should be brought to book”.
The report gives specific recommendations to the implicated individuals, the government, the people of Zimbabwe and other stakeholders.
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