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NewsDay

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‘Holistic approach needed in fighting corruption’

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ZIMBABWEANS from across the divide must work together and meaningfully to fight corruption and stop the country’s record from getting worse, stakeholders have said.

BY OBEY MANAYITI

ZIMBABWEANS from across the divide must work together and meaningfully to fight corruption and stop the country’s record from getting worse, stakeholders have said.

Speaking at a strategic workshop in Harare yesterday to craft a shared approach in the fight against corruption, different stakeholders from the government, policing authorities and private players said it was imperative to work together and bring down the cancerous scourge.

The meeting was aimed at gathering input from various sectors in terms of drawing a national anti-corruption strategy.

From the government side, secretary for State Enterprises Reform, Corporate Governance and Procurement, Willard Manungo said government was unhappy with high levels of corruption in the country.

“As government, we are unhappy with the way we have been fighting corruption even if you follow what the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) has been saying, it’s an area of concern and if we are going to realise the Vision 2030, it is critical that we change the way we have been fighting corruption and otherwise as government we are unhappy with the way we are fighting corruption,” he said.

Manungo said there were many cases involving corruption that were being highlighted in different cycles, but there was no finality on the cases and that this undermined the confidence of the public.

He said yesterday’s meeting was called for to draw different opinions and have a shared view to fight corruption. Manungo said individuals fingered in corruption must be held accountable.

Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) general manager, Sukai Tongogara said there was no coordinated effort among key stakeholders.

“As a country, we are obliged to comply with the United Nations convention against corruption and other regional anti-corruption conventions and protocols. But as Zimbabwe, we don’t have a strategy that we look at and review in terms of how we are fighting corruption,” Tongogara said. She said Zimbabweans must have a by-in and own the fight against corruption.

“We are actually on the negative because we have each institution doing its own things, it’s not a coordinated effort. We have police doing their own, Zacc doing their own and Judiciary their own, so we really need to come down with a strategy that is coordinated by all key stakeholders,” Tongogara said.

“Our rankings in terms of the Transparency International index has gone worse and this is an indication that something is not right in terms of strategy and fighting corruption.”

She also raised concern in terms of corporate governance and the current situation whereby the commission has executive commissioners and an executive secretariat which usually steps on each other’s toes.