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Daniel Nemukuyu Investigations Editor

THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) is engaging council leadership and signing agreements of commitment to end graft within stipulated timeframes.

ZACC, which now stresses prevention of corruption, this year deployed officers to eight local authorities for compliance checks where corruption was unearthed.

These checks were meant to see if the councils were complying with institutional policies and operational frameworks such as laws, policies, regulations, manuals and best practices. The checks were also meant to see if the councils were implementing the recommendations by the Auditor General and if there were systems in place to curb corruption.

During the checks, ZACC officers would also find out if the councils were following set rules and procedures of procurement.

After the spot checks, some culprits were arrested for corruption, but in the spirit of prevention of future corruption and educating the staff at the councils, ZACC listed all the malpractices and deficiencies noted at each local authority before engaging councils to find ways of correcting the wrongs.

Councils were divided into categories — red, amber and green.

Those councils without any corruption prevention and detection systems in place and those who were not even complying with procedures and the recommendations were classified in the red class.

Those who were partly complying were put in the amber class.

But the eight checked were all found wanting: Chegutu Town Council, Karoi Town Council, Mutoko Rural District Council, Umzingwane Rural District Council, Makonde Rural District Council, Mudzi Rural District Council, Zaka Rural District Council and Norton Town Council.

Mutoko RDC and Makonde RDC were classified under the amber category, while the other six were put in the red class.

To that end, ZACC prepared some agreements where the local authorities committed, in writing, to end corruption and to comply with the AG’s audit recommendations.

Yesterday, the eight local authorities put pen to paper, undertaking to comply with the recommendations and to correct other wrongs within agreed time frames.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, ZACC chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo said corruption was rife in councils and the undertaking by the eight would go a long way in curbing corruption and plugging the identified loopholes.

“Our target of local authorities was agitated by so many unpleasant reports of corruption in rural and urban councils which we received from members of the public,” she said. “The Auditor General’s reports are laden with unsavoury malpractices in management of councils.”

Justice Matanda Moyo said corruption at most councils emanated from illegal influence by councillors and other council leadership.

“Based on compliance spot checks and investigations conducted in rural and urban councils, an ugly pattern of corruption was noted,” she said.

“Most conspicuous issues established were the unlawful interference by some councillors in the executive and administrative functions of council through manipulation of council management decisions on stand allocations, procurement, employee suspensions, and other day-to-day running of council business which fall outside councillors’ mandate.”

Councillors were found to be dominating housing stands scandals.  “It is disturbing to reveal that some councillors in other councils were found to have blatantly abused their condition of service benefits of purchasing residential stands at a concessionary discount of 40 percent,” said Justice Matanda Moyo.

“They would apply for a stand under the 40 percent benefit entitlement and later on resell the same stand to third parties at full purchase price without paying any money to council.

“Management, in some councils, are involved in their share of corrupt practices in the administration of council affairs and would allocate stands to people who are not on waiting lists.”