Online Reporter
September 2014
COUNCILLORS and Council officials contributed the bulk of corruption cases reported to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in 2013, with 13 percent of all reports being of dishonest Council officials, ZACC chairperson Mr Michael Reza revealed.
Corruption is rife in Councils, especially in urban local authorities, compromising service delivery.
Speaking at the signing of integrity pledges by Local Government and Public Works Ministry senior officials in Harare, Mr Reza said corruption was rife among public officials.
“In the year 2023, ZACC received 999 reports. It was disheartening to discover that reports against public officials accounted for 56 percent of the cases, that is 559 reports received against public officials.
“Of those, 109 were against public officials in local authorities and 22 against Ministry of Local Government and Public Works officials. That is a whopping 13,11 percent,” he said.
While council officials are on a looting spree, service delivery has been deteriorating to unprecedented levels characterised by water woes, uncollected garbage, potholed roads, dysfunctional street lights and haphazard settlements.
Mr Reza said while the statistics are disheartening, local authorities have taken the initiative to rid themselves of the rot.
“Over the years, ZACC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, conducted several joint operations in administrative investigations at urban and rural district councils,” he said.
“Through collaborative efforts, the commission has facilitated the establishment of integrity committees in the majority of local authorities here in Zimbabwe.
“The Commission has also administered the signing of integrity pledges by councillors and council employees.”
Mr Reza said these statistics are an outcome of the effective application of anti-corruption strategies imparted to local authorities by ZACC.
More than 84 local authorities have established integrity committees and the majority of employees at these local authorities have signed the integrity pledge.
“We consider this to be a bold anti-corruption statement by the Ministry, in line with the Government of Zimbabwe’s zero tolerance to corruption,” he said.
Mr Reza said ZACC continues to strengthen the integrity committees within local authorities as it is currently conducting integrity committee action plan capacitation programmes which focus on the training of integrity committee members.
Among the plans is to oversee the operationalisation of the committee to enhance the integrity, transparency, accountability, efficient and effective operation of councils in executing their key functions of revenue collection and general service delivery.
“I am delighted to note that, through their respective integrity committee recommendations, several local authorities have since intensified the adoption and installation of e-governance and electronic systems in land management, procurement and revenue collection,” Mr Reza said.
ZACC, he said, will leverage its constitutional and statutory investigative mandate and powers to swiftly attend to any allegations of corruption or misconduct within local authorities.
“We will work closely with your offices to proactively detect and deter corrupt practices, sending a clear message that graft is not tolerated at any level of Government,” Mr Reza said. — The Herald.
