Prosecutor General, Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo has declared that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is sending shockwaves to the corrupt after securing 17 convictions in high-profile corruption cases this year, a record she says reflects a new era of accountability.
Speaking in Bulawayo at the NPA’s Strategic Plan Review, Matanda-Moyo said the convictions were proof that the justice system was no longer tolerating impunity.
“We have secured 17 convictions in high-profile corruption cases. Our resolve is best demonstrated by landmark rulings that are sending shockwaves to the corrupt,” she told delegates.
Citing the Hurungwe Rural District Council case in which three senior officials were jailed for a combined 174 years Matanda-Moyo said the judiciary’s message could not be clearer.
“Luke Karavina and others got 70 years each for four counts, receiving sentences as high as 18 and 16 years per count. We are not merely securing convictions we are sending a message that the era of impunity is over,” she said
The Prosecutor General sad the fight against corruption extended beyond the public sector.
“The criminal justice delivery system frowns on corruption. Let me be unequivocal — in the fight against corruption, there are no sacred cows,” Matanda-Moyo declared.
She also pointed to the conviction of former public prosecutor Pardon Dziwa who is serving eight years in prison for demanding a US$20,000 bribe from Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya as proof of the NPA’s commitment to internal integrity.
“The conviction of Pardon Dziwa, and the ongoing trials of others including those here in Bulawayo demonstrate our ironclad commitment to internal accountability,” she said.
According to Matanda-Moyo, reforms within the NPA are already yielding results with a 74.2% case clearance rate achieved by the third quarter of 2025.
She highlighted the success of a specialised task force targeting murder case backlogs which has drastically improved the efficiency of criminal justice delivery.
“We achieved a historic reduction in the backlog of murder cases through our specialised backlog elimination task force. The Midlands Special High Court Circuit cleared 137 out of 150 outstanding cases, a 91% clearance rate with a stunning 98% conviction rate,” she said.
