BY NHAU MANGIRAZI CLERK of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda has responded to a petition by the Karoi Development Agenda (KDA) which sought intervention by the august House to rein in Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) personnel in the district that are allegedly abusing their authority in the farming town.
In a written response dated June 9, 2021, Chokuda advised the Karoi Development Agenda that their petition coild not be taken up by Parliament.
‘‘I am in receipt of your petition wherein the above matter- Petition on ZAAC personnel abuse of office in Karoi. I have to advise that your petition is inadmissible. The petition’s prayer falls out of the mandate of the Parliament because of Independent Commissions that are to operate autonomously to effectively exercise their duties and the Constitution being the supreme law provides for this in Section 235 as read with section 256. An announcement shall be made in the National Assembly when it sits,’’ read part of Chokuda’s response.
KDA, a grouping of civic organizations fighting for social justice, good governance and transparency had written to parliament asking them to rein in Zacc officials who are allegedly ‘usurping’ council operations.
This follows the arrest of five senior managers and councillors last year.
The local authority has been at the centre of controversy following the suspension of housing director, Sibongile Mujuruki in 2019. Several officers have been arrested over alleged criminal abuse of office, corruption and other offences.
In her 2018 audit report, Auditor General Mildred Chiri described the Karoi housing department as ‘shambolic and without a database,’ and fuelling corruption in allocation of stands.
A local resident, Jabulani Dube also petitioned Zacc and the police on why Mujuruki was never arrested after she sold her sister’s stand without power of attorney.
Zacc chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, who was also petitioned, claimed that the residents’ petition was coming from an ill-informed group.
‘‘Those who wrote the petition are ill informed and have been paid by the major suspects who are corrupt,’’ Matanda-Moyo said recently in response to the issue.