InvestigationsZacc yet to act on Gokwe corruptionTHE Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) has castigated the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) as well as the Local Government…

THE Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) has castigated the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) as well as the Local Government ministry for failing to act on a two-month probe which revealed growing cases of graft at Gokwe Town Council The investigation was conducted byThe NewsHawksin partnership with Information for Development Trust, a non-profit organisation supporting investigative journalism in Zimbabwe and southern Africa The investigative story, published in May this year, revealed that minutes of council meetings, resolutions by the local authority and interviews with council officials placed the acting town secretary Alexander Nyandoro at the centre of the rot at the local authority that includes allegations of siphoning of thousands of dollars Nyandoro was accused by councillors and corruption watchdogs of illegally pocketing US$45 000 after he billed the local authority for the use of his personal car eight years before he was appointed acting town secretary

He claimed the money from the council in September last year Nyandoro was appointed acting town secretary in November 2021 after the then Local Government minister July Moyo fired Joseph Mandlokuwa under a cloud In a statement released on 17 October, ACT-SA said besides the probe by The NewsHawks, it had also carried out its own probe which ascertained the findings and put them forward to Zacc and the Local Government ministry “ACT-SA is gravely concerned with the inaction by relevant authorities that has left accused persons at Gokwe council bragging about how connected they are which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for any action to be taken against them,” reads part of the report

Munyaradzi Bidi, the director of ACT-SA Zimbabwe chapter, urged the relevant authorities to take action “We are also plunging ourselves into a very dangerous situation in which people who commit corruption go around boasting that no action will be taken against them because of connections with high-profile persons I hope you still remember a time when the same local authority procured river sand from Harare and transported it to Gokwe This is unbelievable but it happened

We are demanding action right now,” Bidi said In addition, Obert Chinhamo, the ACT-SA regional director added that the failure to take action against people alleged to be dabbling in corrupt activity is disturbing, considering the abundance of evidence “I also don’t understand why it is difficult (for Zacc and Local Government ministry to ask the local authority (Gokwe Town Council) why it paid Nyandoro US$45 000 for mileage when there was no such arrangement with the former town secretary of the local authority,” Chinhamo said Nyandoro refused to comment and referred questions to council spokesperson Brian Kapfumvuti, who defended the acquisition of the vehicles by the town secretary, saying it was part of his working conditions

Originally published on NewsHawks

Source: NewsHawks