Story by Mercy Bofu-Matinha
MEMBERS of the African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC) have been challenged to ensure the fulfilment of their mandate of working towards the eradication of corruption and promotion of good governance.
The recent induction workshop for the APNAC held in Masvingo saw members being called upon to work with existing government structures in the fight against corruption.
“The mandate of APNAC calls on its members to work towards the eradication of corruption, the promotion of good governance, and the strengthening of democratic processes. While APNAC plays a vital role in advocating for anti-corruption measures, APNAC must not work against the existing government structures in the fight against corruption, including the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the Prosecutor-General’s Office and other relevant bodies,” the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Honourable Tsitsi Gezi said.
APNAC Chairperson, Senator Chief Chikwaka said their work will be aligned with regional and national frameworks on corruption.
“The APNAC Zimbabwe chapter as an affiliate of APNAC Africa chapter we are grateful to the Parliament of Zimbabwe for organising this programme to equip us with knowledge and skills in combating corruption. Corruption is a cancer in our community and these Legislators present today have shown a willingness to fight this scourge,” Senator Chief Chikwaka said.
Relevant bodies in the fight against corruption pledged commitment to work with APNAC.
“In this meeting, ZACC is just confirming that it is an institution which is national and working with various institutions. We continue to work together with institutions like APNAC as we fulfil our mandate of combating corruption,” a Representative of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, Dr Munyaradzi Magiga said.
“Today’s meeting is very meeting is very important because when we come together for a common cause which is to fight corruption, there is a common good because we share ideas, we give them reports and challenges and we expect Parliamentarians to fill in the gap in terms of the law,” Representative – National Prosecuting Authority, Advocate Chris Mutangadura said.
“We find it very necessary to participate with policymakers where we share with them the gaps and our recommendations to our Act so that we close gaps in the procurement sector. We know we have the electronic government Procurement but it does not work in isolation, it also needs support,” the CEO of the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, Mr Clever Ruswa said.
Zimbabwe is a signatory to a number of global, regional and national frameworks on corruption and the constitution of Zimbabwe underscores the importance of accountability and transparency.
