THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) is now a battleground for factions within Zanu PF, as the current anti-graft drive threatens to open a can of worms ahead of elections.
BY PATRICE MAKOVA
The drive is said to be pitting a faction loyal to vice-President Joice Mujuru, against that loyal to defence minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa. The two factions are fighting to position themselves for the eventual succession of President Robert Mugabe.
But analysts say political manipulation and interference have rendered the initiative a stillbirth.
The High Court last week blocked Zacc from searching offices of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and those of the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board to investigate allegations of underhand dealings.
The commission had earlier been granted permission to do so by the same court after failing to obtain a search warrant from the police and magistrate courts.
It had also targeted indigenisation minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, Mines minister, Obert Mpofu and Transport and Infrastructural Development minister, Nicholas Goche in its probe.
But in a twist of events, police have now descended on the anti-graft body, with reports that one of the senior investigating officers face imminent arrest, allegedly for probing three Zanu PF cabinet ministers.
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Home affairs co-minister, Kembo Mohadi has also raised eyebrows by re-assigning Zacc chief executive officer, Ngonidzashe Gumbo to a yet-to-be-known new post.
Analysts said Zacc investigations were stopped because they threatened to widen the fissures within Zanu PF ahead of forthcoming elections.
They said there was little political will by leaders to combat corruption because some of them were also involved in the practice. Political analyst George Makoni said real culprits of corruption would never be brought to book.
“They will just find sacrificial lambs — usually political rivals and those who crossed the paths of the powerful,” he said. “Arrests can only be made by the police and we all know who is in control of the force.”
Makoni said the fact that legislators who looted the US$8 million Constituency Development Fund have remained scot-free, proved that there was lack of seriousness in dealing with corruption. “It simply shows there is a motive behind this current hullabaloo [investigations],” he said.
Political analyst, Gift Mambipiri said Zacc was on a “wild goose chase”.
He said nothing would come out of it, despite reasonable grounds to warrant an investigation.
Mambipiri said the original search warrant issued by the High court indicated that there were sufficient grounds to suspect criminal activities.
He said the “desperation” shown by the ZMDC to “summon” the police to block the investigations, something that not even Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai could do, proved that they were hiding something. “But there will be no arrests because I believe all the deals alleged to have been made, were done in consultation with, and for the greater benefit of their principal handlers,” said Mambipiri.
Another political analyst, Ernest Mudzengi said whether or not efforts by Zacc yielded results, would depend on Zanu PF’s political will. “The barring of Zacc investigators from searching ZMDC and other offices points to this reality,” he said.
University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, Shakespeare Hamauswa said the current anti-corruption drive contained both genuine and ulterior motives.
He said there was a strong consensus within Zanu PF that the party had been resurrected from the dead. Hence, the party would be smarter than ever before in the next elections.
Hamauswa said it was possible that the anti-corruption drive was a way of preparing for a major onslaught against MDC-T officials in the government.
“So if they allow searches of Zanu PF ministers’ offices, they will have a justification in doing the same at the offices of MDC ministers,” he said.
Govt must always fight corruption: TI-Z
