Harare, 23 June 2021- Transparency International Zimbabwe (TI Z) joins the rest of the
world in commemorating World Whistleblowers Day. Whistle-blowers play a critical role
in exposing wrongdoing and corruption, therefore potentially saving the country millions of
dollars in public funds and ultimately guaranteeing the effective and efficient delivery of
public services.
Zimbabwe is a signatory to various regional and international anti-corruption frameworks and
protocols such as the Southern African Development Community’s Protocol against
Corruption, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and the
United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), all which recognise the important
role of whistleblowers and the need for their protection thereof.
For instance;
– Article 4 of the Southern African Development Community’s Protocol against
Corruption, on preventative measures, recognizes that for State Parties to contribute to
the objectives of the protocol as laid out in Article 2, it is important for each State
Party to adopt measures which will create, maintain, and strengthen inter-alia, systems
for protecting individuals who in good faith, report acts of corruption.
– Article 5 of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
provides for the protection of whistleblowers. It states that State Parties undertake to
adopt measures that ensure citizens report instances of corruption without fear of
consequent reprisals.
– Article 33 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption encourages State
Parties to incorporate into their domestic legal systems appropriate measures that
provide protection against unjustified treatment of persons who report any acts of
corruption.
On this day, as we celebrate the courageous individuals who come forward to report
corruption, Transparency International Zimbabwe urges the government of Zimbabwe to
show political will and commitment towards the protection of whistleblowers, by expediting
the process of enacting the Whistleblower Protection legislation and funding the
establishment of the institutional frameworks thereof. Whilst there have been commitments
of drafting a whistleblower protection policy in Zimbabwe, as stated in inter-alia paragraph
874 of the National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025), such a process has taken long. In
most instances, whistle-blowers are faced with competing and conflicting imperatives which
make their decision of reporting corruption to relevant institutions an excruciating endeavour.
Therefore, a Whistleblower Protection legislation and accompanying institutional
frameworks will support the current anti-corruption efforts as laid out in the National Anti-
Corruption Strategy (2020-2025).
