adminVusumuzi Dube, Senior Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission will open an office in Bulawayo in August as the organisation seeks to speed up the handling of corruption cases reported in the southern region.
Zacc secretary Mr Silence Pondo said the opening of the Bulawayo offices was in line with the commission’s strategic plan which emphasised on the need to decentralise.
“The opening of Bulawayo offices is in pursuit of our 2016-2021 strategic plans to decentralise. In terms of when we will be opening the offices this will be in August but this is also subject to funds and resource availability,” said Mr Pondo.
Reiterating Mr Pondo’s sentiments Zacc spokesperson Mrs Phyllis Chikundura said the initial plan was to open the office after the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
“We are still dealing with the issue of personnel transfers and other challenges which saw us not being able to open after the trade fair, which was our initial target,” said Mrs Chikundura.
Sources revealed that among the first tasks the Zacc Bulawayo offices will be tasked with investigating are corruption and abuse of office charges being laid against Bulawayo City Council’s town clerk, Mr Christopher Dube by residents through the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association.
Further reports indicate that there are also a number of corruption allegations against the city’s councillors which are under Zacc’s purview. However, Mr Pondo declined to comment on the matters that the commission is investigating in Bulawayo, arguing that this could jeopardise their investigations.
“We investigate all cases received, and then arrest, when investigations unearth any wrongdoing. We do not discuss any cases that are under investigation for fear of compromising these investigations,” he said.
derick.khumalo