Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
[email protected]
HEADS of Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have called for strengthened regional cooperation, enhanced legal frameworks and greater political support to effectively combat corruption across the region.
The resolutions were adopted at the end of a four-day conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, on Thursday, attended by heads of anti-corruption agencies from all 16 SADC member states.
Delegates urged SADC Heads of State and Government to strengthen legal frameworks, provide adequate operational resources and institutional safeguards, and improve coordination among anti-corruption agencies to address the increasingly complex nature of corruption.
The conference also called for stronger protection of whistleblowers, urging member states to enact deliberate legislation that protects and encourages individuals who expose corruption.
Zimbabwe was represented at the conference by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Commissioners Kindness Paradza and Betty Wenjere.
According to the final communiqué, delegates underscored the importance of continuous specialised training for judges, magistrates, prosecutors and investigators in handling corruption-related cases, particularly in areas such as financial investigations, digital forensics and electronic evidence management. They said such capacity building would help reduce case backlogs and improve conviction rates.
The conference expressed concern over the slow pace of asset recovery across the SADC region despite increasing illicit financial flows. Delegates cited persistent capacity gaps, weak coordination among key institutions and the underutilisation of existing legal and financial intelligence tools as major impediments.
To address these challenges, the heads of anti-corruption agencies agreed to pursue a more coordinated and operational regional approach to identifying, freezing, confiscating and managing illicitly acquired assets.
They also proposed expanding the use of non-conviction-based asset forfeiture mechanisms to safeguard public resources in cases where criminal convictions are delayed or difficult to secure.
The conference further called for an urgent review of extradition treaties and mutual legal assistance legislation to align them with the SADC Protocol Against Corruption and eliminate procedural bottlenecks that hinder cross-border cooperation.
Delegates also resolved to strengthen collaboration through the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Southern Africa and other regional platforms to facilitate joint investigations, asset tracing and the exchange of investigative information across jurisdictions.
The meeting expressed concern over fragmented, inconsistently enforced or, in some countries, non-existent whistleblower protection laws, leaving individuals who expose corruption vulnerable to retaliation.
The delegates commended Zimbabwe for drafting the Whistle-Blowers and Witness Protection Bill (2025), which is currently before Parliament.
Other SADC member states were urged to expedite the enactment of comprehensive standalone whistleblower protection laws and establish cross-border protection mechanisms for whistleblowers involved in exposing transnational corruption or those facing risks across jurisdictions.
