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Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga

Harare Bureau
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga says the new Anti-Corruption Unit in its ranks will succeed in fighting “the cancerous scourge of corruption”.

On Thursday, the ZRP launched the specialised unit as part of efforts to effectively investigate all corruption cases in the country.

Comm-Gen Matanga said the new unit was established to investigate all corruption cases at every level. “The ZRP Anti-Corruption Unit will no doubt be a huge success, particularly in the fight against the cancerous scourge of corruption,” he said.

He said the role the media play in the fight against corruption is exceedingly paramount.

Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Senior Assistant Commissioner Stephen Mutamba said corruption affected business credibility and impeded Government’s efforts to turn around the economy.

“Corruption, in its numerous forms which include robbery, bribery, embezzlement, favouritism and extortion, is probably as old as humanity itself. It is therefore apparent that this age-old crime has woven around itself layers of intricacy and complexity,” said Snr Asst Mutamba.

He assured the nation the unit would thoroughly investigate all corruption cases and bring to book all those who would be implicated.

Speaking at the launch and commissioning of the unit’s offices at Morris Depot in Harare, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Dr Obert Mpofu said the force would be working together with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and other agencies to curb corruption.

The country, he said, continued to lose revenue through unscrupulous dealings, thereby adversely impacting on the wellbeing of the economy.

Dr Mpofu said he was happy that in his inaugural State of the Nation Address in December last year, President Mnangagwa made it clear that corruption would not be tolerated.

He said Government had embarked on a raft of measures that include the launch of specialised anti-corruption courts and the forfeiture of assets acquired through corrupt means upon conviction of the criminals.

The courts were recently established in conjunction with ZACC, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Attorney General’s Office, the ZRP and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services.