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Crime Reporter

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has appointed Ms Thandiwe Mlobane as its new spokesperson following the recent suspension of  Mr John Makamure who is under investigation for alleged misconduct.

Ms Mlobane’s appointment is with immediate effect.

President Mnangagwa recently appointed a three-member tribunal chaired by retired High Court judge Justice Maphios Cheda to enquire into Mr Makamure’s suitability to hold office in the wake of reports of alleged malpractices.

“The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) hereby announces the appointment of Commissioner Thandiwe Mlobane as the spokesperson with immediate effect,” said the Commission in a statement.

The tribunal was sworn in following recommendations from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) that complaints of improper conduct against Mr Makamure be investigated.

He is alleged to have failed to disclose his interest as the founder or trustee of the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust whose objectives are said to be inconsistent with the functions of ZACC and the Government.

It is also alleged that Mr Makamure directed one Lee Sung to fund his political campaign in Gokwe in return for “protection”.

Other members of the tribunal are lawyers Mr Charles Warara and Ms Regai Thandiwe Hove.

In appointing the tribunal, the President acted in terms of Section 237 (3) of the Constitution which reads: “The procedure for the removal of judges from office applies to the removal from office of a member of an independent commission.”

It also stipulates that a member of an independent commission may be removed from office only on the grounds that the member concerned was unable to perform the functions of his or her office because of physical or mental incapacity, has been grossly incompetent, has been guilty of gross misconduct, or has become ineligible for appointment to the commission concerned.

Mr Makamure becomes the second commissioner from the anti-graft body to be investigated after a tribunal was also constituted for Mr Frank Muchengwa who has since been fired by President Mnangagwa.

This followed findings by the tribunal led by retired High Court judge, Nicholas Ndou, that Mr Muchegwa was not fit to hold office.

President Mnangagwa appointed the Commission in July 2019 following public interviews conducted by Parliament’s Standing Rules and Orders Committee chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda.

ZACC is an independent body in terms of the Constitution and disciplinary procedures governing the body are the same as those relating to judges and the Prosecutor-General.

In the event of suspected misconduct, an independent tribunal must be set up to investigate and make recommendations to the President.

The Constitution states that such a tribunal must consist of at least three members appointed by the President and the chairperson must be someone who once served as a judge of the Supreme Court or High Court.