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Outrage over Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission Spokesperson, John Makamure’s Attitude towards Concerned Citizens

Brian Kazungu

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John Makamure: Picture Credit - easterntimeszim.org

Brian Kazungu, 09/04/2021

There is outrage over Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission Spokesperson, John Makamure’s attitude towards concerned citizens who register their displeasure on the way how corruption cases in Zimbabwe are being handled.

This follows his utterances on an issue involving an alleged criminal take over by Shabani Mashava Mines (SMM) of Mutumwa Mawere’s house in Mount Pleasant, Harare which was reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission recently.

In a WhatsApp conversation that Mawere shared with the Commission in pursuit of justice, he and Mutanda had expressed their concerns and doubts about the effectiveness of the ZACC on matters of critical importance to citizens and other stakeholders.

While responding to those concerns, Makamure said “I think it is unfair for you to engage in a conversation with other people on a matter you have reported and is under investigation by ZACC. Your Fred Mutanda is dismissive of ZACC, so am not sure why you reported the case in the first place.

In your own words, you are ‘testing’ ZACC. Surely, this is not the right attitude when the Commission is seriously trying to investigate the matter. You should be furnishing us with all the relevant information to aid in the investigations than entertaining conversations with people with ulterior motives.”

Some people who pleaded for anonymity in interviews with this publication on ZACC spokeperson’s utterances expressed shock on the fact that Makamure would expect concerned citizens to come to the Anti-Corruption Commission in a ‘praise and worship’ mood and yet there is evidence of inefficience in this public institution.

“Why should people firstly speak gloriously of ZACC for it to attend to them when it is actually a public institution sustained by tax payers’ money? There is no need for Makamure to try and bully and cower citizens.

If ZACC is surely an efficient and effective organisation, he must actually prove Mawere, Mutanda and other people wrong through results rather than to try and recruit them into praise singers first as a condition for according them their constitutional right? One young lady queried.

One gentlemen in expressing his concerns said that there are so many cases involving public and prominent figures whose corruption charges never seem to touch the nerve of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission regardless of the existence of evidence against perpetrators.

“For example, former Minister Mupfumira, Minister Obadiah Moyo and Henritta Rushwaya have been found on the wrong side of the law because of corrupt activities and yet they continue to walk Scot-free simply because of political connections at the expense of justice.

Can you now imagine that, as a public servant whose income comes from these disgruntled citizens, Makamure displays a bully-tactics attitude that seeks to muzzle voices which puts the effectiveness and relevance of this organisation to a test.

Imagine a restaurant telling you that you cannot buy from us because your friend spoke badly of us yesterday and then asks you why do you want to taste our food when you hang around with people who don’t like us? The gentleman fumed.

In responding to Makamure’s sentiments on why he doesn’t believe in ZACC, respected businessman Fred Mutanda said “You can tell him with confidence that the reason I don’t have confidence and trust in them is because they acted unlawfully against me and got my employee killed in South Africa.

I went to the new ZACC, met the Commissioner for Investigations for him to try to look into this matter. The people who did it, who perpetrated this acts are still working for him and it has taken him more than a year to come back to me. He hasn’t yet come back to me.

So they have to be held to account. They must be held to account for what they do. When we say do go there, it’s because of what they do.”

Public trust and confidence in ZACC and many other government institutions Zimbabwe have drastically deteriorated amidst cross cutting allegations of corruption, poor governance, economic decay and violations of the rule of law.

This has in turn damaged the country’s reputation and affected people’s perception of the ability of government to turn around the fortunes of the once bread basket of Africa which is now mired in the doldrums of poverty that has pushed many citizens out of this mineral rich African nation

Mawere responded to Makamure’s utterances by highlighting the reasons why people have lost confidence in this institution that was supposed to be a pillar of good governance and of the rule of the law in the country.

“This is very unfair to me. I only shared with you so that you may know what is being said about ZACC, a public institution, by an unrepresentative person.

Who approached you with the complaint? I did. Did anyone force me to do so? No.

Like Mr. Mutanda who has gone through worse experiences than me, I was reluctant based on hearsay facts to approach ZACC.

It would be dishonest on my part to say the facts and circumstances of SMM, would be a reality if the rule of law was respected by all.

Even on my case, you would ask the question why one person clothed with public power would have the audacity to deal with a private house of another unless the perpetrator knows he can get away with it.

You may not be aware of that existence of a not-for-profit organization called Friends of SMM (FOSMM) that we both belong to and in which Mr. Mutanda is playing a key role on rule of law matters.

The members of the group under his leadership have been investigating a number of issues of corruption in relation to the SMM affair but not limited to it.

There is evidence of real state capture and many are afraid of using ZACC as a vehicle to expose these matters. The apprehension of bias is real and not imagined. I am sure that in instances where public trust and confidence has eroded so low, we have to be the change hence my taking the initiative to reach out to you.

I can speak eloquently to my experiences dealing with you. I can also speak to my experiences dealing with your colleagues. Contrary to what I have been made to believe, my complaint is now in the system without anyone asking for a bribe to register it.

I should like to believe that it only through diverse testimonials that public trust and confidence can be restored. You will be aware that I still don’t know who the specific persons are handling my case.” Mawere explained.

Brian Kazungu is an Author, Poet, Journalist, and Technology Enthusiast whose writing covers issues to do with Business, Travelling, Motivation and Inspiration, Religion, Politics, and Communication among others. https://www.amazon.com/author/briankazungu https://muckrack.com/brian-kazungu http://www.modernghana.com/author/BrianKazungu [email protected] @BKazungu-Twitter He has written and published several books covering various aspects of human life including leadership, entrepreneurship, politics, personal development as well as poetry and travel. These books are found on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/briankazungu