The fight against corruption in local authorities has been stepped up with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works partnering the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to form a special taskforce targeting graft and maladministration in councils.
The initiative comes amid mounting concerns that corruption and inefficiencies in both rural and urban councils have led to poor service delivery, crumbling infrastructure, uncollected refuse and the misuse of community funds.
Addressing journaists in Harare, Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe said the taskforce would plug gaps that have allowed cases to stall for years undermining public trust in governance structures.
“Currently, there are several corruption-related cases under investigation in the majority of councils across the country, many of which have dragged on unresolved due to their complexity.
“This joint taskforce will ensure that no case is left hanging indefinitely. We are determined to bring finality to cases, recover stolen resources and restore confidence in local governance,” Garwe said
The Ministry, which oversees 92 local authorities under the Urban Councils Act and Rural District Councils Act, has traditionally focused on administrative oversight, while ZACC and the police pursued criminal investigations.
The new arrangement is expected to improve coordination and accelerate outcomes.
Garwe said the Ministry’s involvement would not undermine ZACC’s constitutional mandate but would instead strengthen the response to corruption allegations.
“We want to create a governance culture where corruption has no hiding place, where every allegation is promptly attended to and where councils return to their core mandate of serving communities,” he added.
The Ministry’s Integrity Committee, created under ZACC guidelines, will also be integrated into the taskforce to strengthen ethical conduct and introduce preventative measures.
Years of unchecked graft have crippled key services such as water provision, road maintenance, housing projects and refuse collection.
Government hopes that by rooting out corruption, councils will deliver services more efficiently, boost investor confidence and improve living standards for citizens.
