Harare ‑ Top officials from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) have resigned en masse amid indications that president Emmerson Mnangagwa is restructuring the unit.
ZACC chairman Job Whabira resigned on Thursday, Misheck Sibanda, chief secretary to the cabinet, said.
“Furthermore, His Excellency, the President, accepts the resignation of the rest of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commissioners,” said Sibanda in a statement.
“All the commissioners have gone on leave pending the finalisation of their terminal benefits.”
The restructuring of the anti-corruption body comes at a time when some of the commissioners have been accused of being corrupt and dabbling in Zanu-PF factional politics.
Some of them were viewed as sympathetic to former president Robert Mugabe and, therefore, “politically incorrect”.
Justice, legal and parliamentary affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the decision to restructure was reached after the “realisation that some of these institutions have negated on their mandate and hence we are trying to revive and achieve the vision set out by President Mnangagwa”.
Zimbabwe continues to be ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
The latest Transparency International (TI) corruption perceptions index said Zimbabwe dropped three places from last year to 160 out of 180 countries.