By Dorrothy Moyo | ZimEye | – Harare, 25 April 2025
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) is celebrating what it describes as an “unprecedented achievement”—a 100% conviction rate in all cases referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) during the first quarter of 2025. According to its just-released quarterly report, all 12 cases that went to full trial between January and March ended in convictions, a rare feat for any law enforcement body, let alone one operating in a country where public trust in justice institutions remains fragile.
Yet beneath the polished numbers and self-congratulatory tone lies a darker, more complex reality—one that calls into question the credibility of ZACC’s pursuit of justice and the integrity of the very statistics it now parades.
Missing Names, Missing Cases
While ZACC emphasizes its focus on high-profile prosecutions, civil society observers and independent investigators point to glaring omissions: certain politically connected individuals whose criminal investigations have either mysteriously stalled, disappeared entirely, or been quietly rerouted beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
One such case—currently under scrutiny by South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Unit—has vanished from ZACC’s own records despite its enormous public profile and implications for state-linked financial corruption. The silence on this case, and others like it, exposes what appears to be a worrying pattern of selective enforcement: swift action on low-level officials and private individuals, but a deafening quiet when it comes to the politically and financially powerful.
Convictions or Convenience?
According to ZACC’s own data, of the 183 cases handled this year, 99 were referred to the NPA, with 12 completed trials producing 12 convictions. Fraud topped the list of offenses (45 cases), followed by criminal abuse of office (21). ZACC claims that 26 of the 99 referred cases are “high-profile,” yet it offers no detail on the names, public offices, or business interests involved.
Analysts warn that such opacity risks undermining the very confidence ZACC seeks to build. “Without transparency about who is being prosecuted and who is not, these conviction figures mean very little,” said one legal researcher in Harare. “They may be impressive on paper, but if the real power brokers are untouched, it’s little more than a PR exercise.”
Uneven Geography, Uneven Justice
The data also reveals troubling geographic disparities. Of the 183 cases handled in the first quarter, a staggering 158 originated from Harare, with provinces like Bulawayo and Masvingo recording zero cases. ZACC attributes this to “lack of awareness” about its presence in those regions, but critics argue this speaks to something deeper: a capital-centric focus that neglects corruption at the local level or simply avoids politically sensitive areas.
Performative or Proactive?
With 82 arrests made this quarter—mostly against men and a handful of organizations—ZACC insists its “thrust” is to investigate crimes that harm the economy. But the absence of key names from the public record raises the question: whose economy is being protected, and whose corruption is being punished?
As Zimbabweans struggle under economic pressure, poor service delivery, and collapsing institutions, many remain skeptical of an anti-graft body that seems more interested in statistical perfection than systemic change.
For now, ZACC celebrates. But behind the applause, the public is asking harder questions—and waiting to see if justice in Zimbabwe can ever truly be blind, or whether it remains willfully selective.