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Zvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
Parliament’s Committee on Standing Rules and Orders has invited the public to nominate suitable people to be considered for appointment as members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) as the tenure of the incumbents will soon come to an end.
Every five years, Parliament’s top committee, which includes opposition Parliamentary leadership as well as Government nominees and is chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly, is responsible for selecting and submitting a list of 12 nominees to the President, who then selects eight for the commission. The chairperson is chosen by the President after consulting the same committee.
With the eight ordinary members sworn in, in 2019, this means the term of all commissioners except chairperson Michael Reza is coming to end. Mr Reza was appointed through the Constitutional process by President Mnangagwa in March to replace Justice Loice Mutanda-Moyo who had been appointed new Prosecutor General.
“The Committee on Standing Rules and Orders of the Parliament of Zimbabwe is mandated in terms of section 237(1) (b) of the Constitution, to invite the public to nominate candidates for possible appointment by His Excellency, the President of Zimbabwe, to serve as Commissioners on Independent Commissions.
“Eight vacancies have arisen on the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. Accordingly, the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders is hereby calling on the public to nominate persons, to be considered for possible appointment to this Commission,” said the public notice from Parliament.
Some of the functions of the commission, as provided for by Section 255 of the Constitution, are to investigate and expose cases of corruption in the public and private sectors, combat corruption, theft, misappropriation, abuse of power and other improper conduct in the public and private sectors.
The commission also has to promote honesty, financial discipline and transparency in the public and private sectors, receive and consider complaints from the public and to take such action in regard to the complaints as it considers appropriate.
It can also direct the Commissioner-General of Police to investigate cases of suspected corruption and to report to the commission on the results of any such investigation and refer matters to the National Prosecuting Authority for prosecution.
Other functions allow it to require assistance from members of the police and other investigative agencies of the State; and to make recommendations to the Government and other persons on measures to enhance integrity, accountability and prevent improper conduct in the public and private sectors.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe specifies that members of the ZACC must be chosen for their integrity, and their knowledge of and experience in administration or the prosecution or investigations of crime or for the general suitability for appointment.
It requires that at least one must be qualified to practice as a legal practitioner in Zimbabwe, and have been so qualified for at least seven years, at least one must be qualified to practice as a public accountant or public auditor in Zimbabwe, and have been so qualified for at least seven years. There is need for someone to be a person with at least 10 years’ experience in the investigation of crime.
Parliament is expected to short-list candidates from those who would have applied before holding public interviews and the Standing Rules and Orders Committee will submit 12 recommendations to the President from which he will make the eight appointments.
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