Civil society organisation Accountability Lab Zimbabwe (ALZ) has launched its fourth annual integrity icons nomination process in Mbare, Harare, as it moves to identify and reward civil servants who execute their duties with a high degree of integrity.
ALZ seeks to honour civil servants who lead by example and promote the values of honesty, personal responsibility, and ethical leadership. It also supports active citizens, responsible leaders, and accountable institutions.
In an interview with NewsDay, ALZ media and communications officer Bathabile Dlamini said five finalists are picked each year following a rigorous countrywide selection process, and awarded for exhibiting ethical leadership.
“The integrity icon is a national campaign that we run for the year where we identify outstanding civil servants who lead with integrity and high ethical standards. We celebrate them to show you as the community that some are leading with high integrity and ethical standards," she said.
"We have done this since 2021 when we celebrated in each year five outstanding civil servants who lead with high integrity standards and ethical morals. So this year being the fourth cohort, we are going to take you through the whole process where you as the community identify civil servants in your community whom you know. When you identify them, quickly go to our social media platforms where we have a nomination form that you complete.
"Once the nomination is closed, we will then go through fact-checking and we will consult with you the community, to verify that these people you identified as worthy to be celebrated as integrity icons are worthy of that honour, and after that, we are going to celebrate them during the integrity icons awards ceremony and that is going to be towards the end of the year, around September,” Dlamini said.
Beauty Madenya, a vendor in Mbare embraced the ALZ nomination programme saying if it gets adequate support from the country's top leadership, the initiative could go a long way in eradicating corruption, especially in public places.
The same nomination campaign will be held in Bulawayo on April 4, as the organisation seeks to pick five high-performing civil servants from across the country. Last year's award winners included Alban Mandeya, a senior teacher at Wadzanai Primary School in Shamva, Gracias Zhou (human resources officer, Primary and Secondary Education ministry offices, Gweru); Francis Mhangwa (registrar at Immigration offices in Harare); Stewart Magaya (processing officer, Civil Registry Department in Mutare); and Benediate Bakasa (acting district social services officer, Harare Central).
- Need for transparency on The fears of the Hlengwe-Xangani ethnic group commonly referred to as the Chilonga community are not unfounded issue
- Zimbabwe’s proposed draconian law will curtail election observation
- Film Fellowship embarks on #FilmFridayPodcast
- Need for transparency on The fears of the Hlengwe-Xangani ethnic group commonly referred to as the Chilonga community are not unfounded issue
