Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has begun steps appearing to clear Professor Jonathan Moyo of corruption allegations.

Higher Education Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo who has been accused by the Anti Corruption Commission of abusing public funds has held onto his defence saying that the ZACC is improperly constituted. Moyo has since found a backer ironically in the Presidential aspirant.

Zacc might have been set up to tackle corruption, but the body admits in its report that its officers have engaged in corruption.

Speaking in parliament this week, Mnangagwa says his report for the past year shows that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc)’s employees are corrupt. Mnangagwa also says the organization’s bosses splurged US$5,5 million on luxury homes, top-of-the-range cars and executive furniture at a time when the commission was being accused of doing little to fight corruption. A fortnight ago, four top managers were suspended for alleged misappropriation of funds.

Mnangagwa said the body owes the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) $5 million after corrupt staff members converted company cars to their personal use.

Mnangagwa’s report reads in part:

“Zacc has been indebted to Zimra to the tune of $5 million in tax arrears mainly due to corrupt practices. The commission established that the largest chunk of these arrears had accrued from vehicles bought by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), which were converted to personal use as retention vehicles for individual staff members who did not qualify at all for such vehicles, which were supposed to be Zacc pool vehicles.

“The vehicles were reportedly registered using staff members’ personal names and sold in violation of standing policy, rules and procedures. The report however failed to name the corrupt individuals in question. The report also said four senior managers at Zacc had also acquired a Zacc property at Number 872 Betterment Close, Mount Pleasant, in the name of their own private company.”