Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Over 27 000 senior officials from Government and 30 State-owned institutions have signed corporate and individual integrity pledges, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, Mr Michael Reza, has said.
Speaking at an integrity signing ceremony for Mutapa Investment Fund board members and senior staff, Mr Reza said integrity was the central theme required to propel the country towards an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
Corporate pledges are formal commitments by organisations or individuals to enforce transparency, accountability and ethical governance in their operations.
The individual pledges are personal, public declarations by high-ranking civil servants to uphold the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
The drive, spearheaded by ZACC, has seen participation by top Government officials, including ministers, the Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet and his deputies, permanent secretaries and other key public entities or officials.
Yesterday’s event saw Mutapa officials and board members, led by chairman Chipo Mutasa and the chief executive, Dr John Mangudya, signing the pledges.
“All these efforts are aimed at strengthening integrity in the public sector and enhancing delivery as we glide towards 2030,” said Mr Reza.
“We are here to support, to guide, and to help you build robust systems that prevent corruption before it can take root.”
Mr Reza stressed that public officials must conduct themselves with “integrity to ensure seamless attainment of our national aspirations and that integrity in governance and investment is the main theme that will propel us forward”.
“We believe in the mission of the Mutapa Fund, and we believe in your capacity to put in place corruption prevention and mitigation measures and build wealth for the people of Zimbabwe,” said Mr Reza.
“Today’s actions prove that the Mutapa Investment Fund is ready to embed anti-corruption principles at the heart of its operations.
“This also ensures that our development trajectory remains resilient, inclusive, and free from the shackles that could hinder progress.”
Dr Mangudya said Mutapa, as a sovereign wealth fund mandated to invest, safeguard and grow national assets, must not only generate value but must also embody integrity as a value.
“Corruption, in any form, is a direct threat to economic growth, national confidence and sustainable development,” he said.“Therefore, we view today’s engagement not as compliance, but as commitment to uphold ethical standards in every transaction, every decision and every relationship that defines our operations.”
Dr Mangudya said the pledge symbolised the institutional commitment to uphold the highest ethical standards and to integrate anti-corruption controls within Mutapa’s governance framework, procurement systems and investment processes.
“We also take great pride that following the fund’s pledge, our board chairman, board members, myself as the chief executive officer and senior management here present will each sign individual integrity pledges thereby personally affirming their dedication to honesty, accountability and good corporate citizenship in serving the fund and ultimately, as responsible public officers of Zimbabwe.
“In doing so, we are saying, as Mutapa Investment Fund, that integrity begins with each one of us. Ethical leadership cannot be delegated; it must be lived and exemplified so that this culture is copied and strengthened all the way down to investee companies of the fund.”
Mutapa is Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth fund established by the Act of Parliament.
It is a strategic investment arm of the Government which was capitalised with shares in selected State-owned enterprises and investments to transform, revive and strengthen the performance of state entities.
The fund manages a broad portfolio of companies from different sectors of the economy, divided into clusters including mineral resources, energy and trading, information communication technology, transport and logistics, agriculture and industries, financial services as well as real estate.
