Prosecutor General breathes fire over corruption.
BY SAMUEL NJINGA IN MASVINGO
Newly appointed Prosecutor General Loyce Matanda-Moyo has vowed that she will be in the
trenches together with her subordinates to weed out all corrupt elements in the society. She
revealed this during her recent visit to Masvingo where she convened a meeting with high
ranking officers in the National Prosecuting Authority across the country.
“We are here to protect the people of Zimbabwe. We are here to uphold the rule of law. We are
here to safeguard the rights and dignity of those that we come in contact with.” Said Matanda-
Moyo in her opening remarks of the meeting.
Zimbabwe is striving towards a prosperous and empowered upper middle income society by
- The National Prosecuting Authority is expected to be promote a just and fair system for all
those that it is mandated to serve as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Prosecutors are
expected to combat crime and corruption.
“We all know that the biggest threat to improving our quality of life is without doubt corruption.
Corruption is the major stumbling block. It retards socio-economic development. It impacts
negatively on the realisation and enjoyment of human rights. The Minister of justice has
implored us to uproot all the corrupt elements from society so as to pave way for economic
transformation as no economy will thrive under the siege of corruption. It is imperative that we
have an urgent task before us, to reduce crime and corruption so as to enhance the prosperity of
our nation.” Said Matanda-Moyo to her surbodinates.
Recently Commissioner General of police, Commissioner General Matanga bemoaned the rise in
crime. Prosecutor General Matanda Moyo also highlighted that if crime starts rising it means the
National Prosecuting Authority is doing something very wrong. She advanced the notion that a
surge in crime implies that whatever is being done is not serving as deterrent enough in
combating crime and corruption. Prosecutor General Matanda-Moyo further indicated that if
matters are prosecuted fairly and effectively, definitely crime and corruption will go down.
“Let`s introspect each and every one of us and find out where we are erring and make corrections
today. The prosecution of corruption cases remain a top priority. We must be able to explain to
those that we serve as to why our corruption cases are not moving. I will not tolerate a situation
where we put aside cases of corruption simply because those dockets involve high profile figures
in the society, saka munofunga kuti majere akagadzirirwa mwana wani? Ivavo vakaisa mutemo
must be the first ones to go in!” Reiterated Matanda-Moyo.
She added, “I urge you to find the bottle necks and find solutions to resolve them with good
speed. If these issues cannot be resolved at a local level, escalate them to my office as soon as
you can. What I want to see is justice in motion, no delaying tactics, no excuses. We need
results. The people of Zimbabwe need us to perform to the best of our ability. I am not going to
tolerate shifting of blame. I dont want to hear any excuses that the dockets have not been properly investigated because as prosecutors we are the ultimate authority. We only receive dockets that are ready for prosecution. If the dockets are not ready for prosecution, they must be referred back with instructions to the investigative authorities. I dont want to hear excuses such
as: I lost a case because it was not properly investigated, my answer would be: “Wakaridyira
mari.”
Matanda-Moyo said that those who are into corruption must be shaking as a result of thorough
prosecution this time around as the year comes to an end.
“By the 31 st of December this year, tinofanirwa kuvona kugeda-geda kwameno. This crime and
corruption rate must go down. They must know that we mean business.”
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, ZACC, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, ZRP, and
the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe are currently working together to come up with
harmonized national guidelines for the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases. The
guidelines will be in line with the national anti-corruption strategies. It is hoped that this will go
a long way to ensure that corruption and criminal cases are investigated and prosecuted in a
coordinated and effective manner.
The National Prosecution Authority does not only prosecute criminals from corruption cases but
also ensures that they are disgorged from all the wealth that they acquired from crime and
corruption activities. It also jealously guards against organised and transnational crimes.