Rutendo Chirume
The Cabinet of Zimbabwe has approved principles of the Public Interest Disclosure also known as Protection of Whistle Blowers Bill, 2022 as presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi which seeks to fight corruption by protecting genuine witnesses who raise issues of public interest.
Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa announced the new developments during a post cabinet briefing held on March 29.
Currently the country does not have a legislation that provides for the protection of individuals that point out against illicit activities within organisations they are employed in therefore this bill will serve to protect, bridge the gap affecting the fight against corruption and exposing the whistle blowers to retaliation.
Minister Mutsvangwa said the bill will promote good governance through transparency and accountability of public interest as well as combating scourge of corruption within public and private sectors in line with SADC protocols against corruption and other boards which fight against corruption.
“The enactment of the Public Interest Disclosure Protection of Whistle Blowers Bill, 2022 will help safeguard good governance, transparency, justice, accountability and responsiveness as enshrined in the constitution. Furthermore, the enactment of the Bill will be in line with international best practices as Zimbabwe is a signatory to several conventions aimed at combating the scourge of corruption within the public and private sectors, among these being the SADC Protocol against Corruption; the African Union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption,’’ said Mutsvagwa.
The Bill will seek, among other provisions, to provide for mainly protection of whistle blowers by prohibiting detrimental treatment of any whistle blower by reason of his or her whistle blowing, a framework within which public interest disclosures shall be dealt with and disclosure of conduct averse to public interest in the public and private sectors.
