ZACC reports 61 percent success in NACS 1

Trust Freddy

Herald Correspondent

ZIMBABWE’S initial anti-corruption framework, the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS 1), successfully concluded its four-year mandate with an independently verified 61 percent success rate in corruption investigation and prevention metrics.

The achievement, covering the period from July 2020 to June 2024, was announced by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) Chairperson during a validation workshop for the successor strategy, NACS 2, being held in Harare today.

In his keynote speech, ZACC chairperson Mr Michael Reza said the successful implementation of NACS 1, which was launched by President Mnangagwa, provides a strong foundation for the next phase of the national anti-graft campaign.

“The development of NACS 2 follows the successful implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS 1) that was launched by the President, His Excellency, Dr E.D Mnangagwa, in July 2020,” he said.

“NACS 1, which ran from July 2020 to June 2024 and according to independent evaluators, achieved over 61 percent success in corruption investigation and prevention metrics.”

NACS 1 was launched to provide a consensus strategy to fight corruption by bringing together government, civil society, non-governmental organisations, law enforcement agencies, and the private sector in a multi-stakeholder approach.

As the country implements NACS 2, Mr Reza said the strategy should align with the National Development Strategy (NDS 2) to advance continuous reforms aimed at enhancing transparency.

“The strategy should be in sync with our national priorities as espoused in the recently launched National Development Strategy (NDS2) and fully aligned with regional, continental and international anti-corruption frameworks, that is the SADC Protocol Against Corruption, African union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.”

The new national strategy being formulated is also expected to tackle complex cases, including bringing to book culprits from beyond borders, ensuring recovery of stolen assets and dismantling sophisticated graft networks.

ZACC will anchor its fight on regional and international cooperation, targeting offshore havens and cross-border syndicates that frustrate accountability efforts.