ZANU PF-Controlled Commission Accused of Playing to the Gallery
By A Correspondent
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), long accused of operating as a partisan extension of the ruling ZANU PF regime, has launched yet another so-called anti-corruption campaign at the Beitbridge Border Post. But critics argue the initiative is little more than a PR stunt — lacking both teeth and credibility.
ZACC claims it’s working to curb rampant smuggling and rent-seeking at the country’s busiest border, where millions in government revenue are lost annually. A week-long “multi-stakeholder” campaign has been rolled out targeting travellers, cross-border traders, and border officials. But many see it as an exercise in optics rather than genuine reform.
Chido Madiwa, chairperson of ZACC’s prevention of corruption committee, said: “We need to work together to prevent corruption and smuggling. Already some officials have signed Integrity Pledges to strengthen the fight against corruption.”
But signing pledges is hardly a solution in a country where high-level corruption is protected, not prosecuted. Madiwa added: “We are engaging travellers and cross-border traders, educating them on the risks of corruption and promoting compliance.”
Yet there is little sign ZACC intends to investigate the politically connected figures often implicated in smuggling syndicates. Critics say this selective approach — going after low-level staff while shielding elites — is deliberate.
Assistant Regional Immigration Officer Canisia Magaya said her department has embraced a zero-tolerance approach. “We now have the Online Border Management System (OBMS) and automated gates (eGates), which are now up and running,” she said. “We’re minimising human interface to reduce the chances of corruption.”
But technology alone won’t dismantle deeply entrenched networks of patronage. Rotating staff, digitising gates, or hosting workshops won’t change the fact that the same political elite behind the smuggling of fuel, cigarettes, and gold remain untouched.
ZIMRA shift manager Enock Taruvinga admitted the scale of the crisis, revealing: “The country loses significant revenue — up to US$1 billion annually — through unpaid duties and illicit export of precious minerals.”
So far, ZACC has not announced a single arrest of senior officials involved in this industrial-scale looting. No ministers. No army commanders. No well-known smugglers. Just vague campaigns and generic rhetoric.
To many observers, ZACC’s campaign at Beitbridge is business as usual: grand declarations, token outreach, and a complete refusal to confront the rot at the top.
Until ZACC proves it can act independently of ZANU PF and bring powerful offenders to book, its efforts will continue to be seen as political theatre — protecting the corrupt while pretending to fight corruption.