Govt moots effort to protect whistleblowers

Government has mooted efforts to have a law that seeks to protect the whistleblowers.

This was revealed by Minister of Information Media and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa in apost cabinet statement last week.

"Cabinet considered and approved the Principles of the Public Interest Disclosure (Protection of Whistle Blowers) Bill, 2022 as presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. The nation is being informed that currently, Zimbabwe does not have specific legislation that provides for the protection of individuals that point out (‘whistle blow') against illicit activities within organisations they are employed in," she said.

"The gap is affecting the fight against corruption and exposing the whistleblowers to retaliation. The Bill will promote a Whole-of-Society Approach in the fight against corruption by protecting genuine witnesses who raise issues of public interest."


She said the Public Interest Disclosure (Protection of WhistleBlowers) Bill, 2022 will seek, among other provisions, to provide for disclosure of conduct averse to public interest in the public and private sectors, protection of whistleblowers by prohibiting detrimental treatment of any whistle blower by reason of his or her whistle blowing; and a framework within which public interest disclosures shall be dealt with.
"The enactment of the Public Interest Disclosure (Protection of WhistleBlowers) 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 sector, among these being the SADC Protocol against Corruption; the African Union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption, and the United Nation Convention against Corruption," she said.