BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
THE Zimbabwean chapter of the African Parliamentarians Against Corruption (APNC) has revealed plans to make public an inventory of legislators who have complied with the asset declaration policy.
The APNC-Zimbabwe chapter said this is necessary to fight graft that is costing the country billions in lost revenue.
The country’s Constitution, in particular section 198, provides for regular disclosure of assets by public officials including parliamentarians.
Parliament’s Standing Orders 48 and 49 of the Senate and the National Assembly also respectively provide that: “Every member shall register all his/her financial interests in a book to be maintained under the direction of the Speaker and the president of the Senate and such registration shall be in a manner specified in the Code of Conduct.”
APNC local chapter chair Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said they will use the next sitting of Parliament to make an inventory into the legislators who have complied with the asset declaration policy and those who have not.
“We also noticed that if you look in the Constitution, Section 198 actually provides for respect of Parliament that should ensure that there should be assets declaration by public officials and we do not have that Act,” Misihairabwi-Mushonga said after the organisation’s inaugural strategic planning meeting held in the city at the weekend.
APNC was formed in 2003 and is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya and exists in many African countries. However, since then, it has been inactive up until now as Zimbabwe has shown the zeal to finally deal with the scourge of corruption.
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“We are going to have a Private Members Bill that will be sponsored by APNC to bring that Act into play to allow Parliament to do a lifestyle audit because we only get to know how much people owned during the time they die or during divorce.
“We also want to look at the legislation that relates to asset recovery because the problem we have had is that we hear stories of someone having looted, but nothing happens,” she added.
This comes at a time when government has threatened to deal with widespread corruption in the country. Currently, fired Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry minister Priscah Mupfumira is languishing in remand prison facing graft charges.
