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Corruption cases: Lest we forget: bad leadership examples for accountability, transparency and integrity in Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-Southern Africa)
September 13, 2012

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Executive Summary

Zimbabwe's post independence era is characterized by a political leadership that has consistently failed to provide the best examples for accountability, transparency and integrity. The leadership itself, has since the 1980s, engaged in acts of corruption and also condoned such acts on the part of their associates, relatives and friends. This has frustrated efforts towards building a corruption-free Zimbabwe.

This report depicts the involvement of the leadership, their associates, relatives and friends in corruption. Classic examples of corruption that tainted the Zimbabwean leadership include: the Diamond Scandals, the looting of the War Victims Compensation Fund, the VIP Housing Scam, the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO) Scandal, the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) Scandal, the Kondozi Estate Looting, the Willowvale Scandal, the Fertiliser Scandal, the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOCZIM) Scandal, and the Harare Airport Extension Scandal to name but a few. Regardless of the abundance of evidence and the implications of development, the culprits seem to have been forgotten or condoned but rewarded in one way or the other.

There is no doubt that the failure to investigate and prosecute culprits of corruption worsens the scourge of corruption. To this end, it is recommended that implicated individuals should not only be investigated and prosecuted but should resign, and return all resources looted. Pursuant to the above, the following specific recommendations are made:

1. Recommendations to Implicated Individuals

a) Implicated Individuals should not or at all participate in future elections until they are cleared of corruption and wrong doing;

b) They should make proactive efforts to clear themselves if at all they feel that they are innocent. Failure, which their names will remain dirty;

c) Implicated individuals who are corrupt should immediately resign from the positions that they are currently holding;

d) Refund or return all resources looted and declare other assets procured through illicit means.

2. Recommendations to the Government of Zimbabwe

a) Develop and endorse a zero tolerance policy on corruption in Zimbabwe;

b) Open up and restart investigating all cases of corruption that took place in the past;

c) Ensure that law enforcement agencies operate impartially without favoring any specific group of people;

d) Ensure that public leaders declare their assets and liabilities before taking office;

e) Dismiss Ministers and senior government officials implicated in corruption; and

f) Recover all looted resources.

3. Recommendations to the People and other Stakeholders

a) Corrupt leaders and their companies should be blacklisted and sidelined in business opportunities and employment, especially within all tiers of Government;

b) Volunteer information on assets owned by the implicated individuals and other senior government officials;

c) Implicated individuals should be removed from power through peaceful and democratic elections; and

d) Putting pressure to facilitate investigation and prosecution of all implicated individuals.

4. Recommendations for Investigations

a) All cases cited above should be investigated and the outcomes of such investigations published;

b) An investigation into the alleged looting of government properties (including houses) between the year 2000 and 2009, that were transferred into senior government officials' names through the assistance of the Registrar of Deeds Office;

c) Demanding a full list of people who benefited from the farm mechanization programme;

d) An investigation into sources of money used to procure war equipment;

e) A thorough investigation into the Marange Diamond Scandals.

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