Mugabe makes a U-turn

President Robert Mugabe has withdrawn the re-appointment of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commissioners barely two weeks after announcing the extension of their contracts, a cabinet minister told parliament on Tuesday.

Home Affairs minister Kembo Mohadi told the National Assembly that the re-appointment of the commissioners was done without following set procedures requiring that parliament, through the standing orders and rules committee, should invite nominations of commissioners and conduct interviews for consideration by the president.

In a ministerial statement, Mohadi said currently there were no commissioners to give direction on how the country should deal with graft, leaving MDC-T lawmakers to suspect that the Zanu-PF government did so deliberately to cover up for some "unknown crime".

"According to the new constitution, the committee on standing rules and orders must advertise the positions, invite the public to make and conduct public interviews and compile a list of prospective nominees for appointment," he said.

"However, after the expiry of the term of office of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), government considered the time frame that would be taken to conduct the due process and to avert a situation of a vacuum, the president reappointed the commissioners, however, upon re-examination, it was noted that the reappointments were unconstitutional hence it was decided that the chairperson orders that commissioners should stop working and …the commissioners vacate their offices," Mohadi said.

Last week, Home Affairs deputy minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, told the same house that Mugabe had extended the term of office but could not state under which law the president did the extension.

The nine  Zacc  commissioners, who were appointed during  the inclusive  government before elections last year, were empowered to resume duty in a letter dated May 29 2014 and signed by the commission chairperson, Denford Chirindo.

The general notice 29/05/14 titled Resumption of duty by commissioners reads in part: "Please be advised that the secretary for Home Affairs, the accounting officer (sic), has advised that the commissioners whose term of office expired in August 2013 should come back to work with immediate effect so that they continue to function until a new commission has been set up by his Excellency, the President."

But Mohadi said that has since been reversed.

"Currently, we don't have commissioners and the ball is in your court as parliament, if you give me the list tomorrow, I will be happy," he said.

His explanation, however, did not go down well with Kuwadzana East MP, Nelson Chamisa, who said government had created the vacuum deliberately so that "they could cover up for something".

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda immediately announced that soon the standing rules and orders committee, which he chairs, would call for nominations and have commissioners appointed within the shortest time possible.