To:
1- Gokwe Town Council;
2- The district Development Coordinator- Gokwe South;
3- The resident Minister;
4- The Dispol, ZRP Gokwe
5- The Minister of Local Government
6- ZACC;
7- National Prosecuting Authority
8- Propol, ZRP Midlands Province
From: Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa- Zimbabwe Chapter- 16, 2nd Ave, Kwekwe, Tel: 055-2525235 e-mail: info@anticorruptiontrust.org
Date: 4 June 2020
Re: Stop Persecuting Whistleblowers who exposed Corruption at Gokwe Town Council
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ACT-SA is gravely disturbed by reports of increased reprisals against individuals suspected of having exposed corruption at Gokwe Town Council that resulted in the arrest of the Town Secretary Melania Mandeya and the Director of Finance. After the expose the management of the local authority and it’s sympathisers launched a ‘witch hunting’ mission to identify the whistleblowers. All those suspected of having leaked the corruption scandals are facing increased reprisals on a daily basis. In one of the reports received, a suspected whistleblower was visited and threatened during the night. The matter was reported at CID Gokwe. In another case, a suspected whistleblower is facing trumped-up charges that are allegedly totally unfounded. Other suspected whistleblowers are being harassed by the local authority.
That said these suspected whistleblowers are exposed to great danger and hence this request for the following
1- That the Gokwe ZRP Dispol gives security to these suspected whistleblowers
2- That the Gokwe ZRP Dispol launches an investigation of these allegations of reprisals against whistleblowers in Gokwe
3- That policy/law makers make it criminal for anyone to threaten whistleblowers
4- That ZACC investigates and takes appropriate action
5- Punitive action against all those threatening whistleblowers