Zacc, Zimra recover over 500 rebate abuse vehicles

More than 500 vehicles valued at nearly US$2 million have been recovered through a joint operation by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) targeting abuse of the Civil Servants Motor Vehicle Rebate Scheme. The recovery was announced during a signing ceremony in Harare, where ZIMRA officials pledged to uphold integrity and transparency in their operations.

The event was attended by ZIMRA Board Chair Anthony Mandiwanza and Commissioner-General Regina Chinamasa, who signed the integrity pledges in the presence of ZACC Chairperson Michael Reza, signalling a renewed commitment to ethical conduct within the authority.

In his keynote address, Mr Reza praised ZIMRA's cooperation, noting that the joint investigation, launched in June 2023, had uncovered widespread abuse of the duty-free vehicle import scheme for civil servants with ten or more years of service. "Since the launch of that operation, thousands of cases of suspected abuse have been reported, and over 500 vehicles valued close to US$2 million have been recovered by ZACC," he said, adding that further seizures are expected as more cases await prosecution.

The rebate scheme allows qualifying civil servants to import vehicles duty-free but prohibits them from selling, leasing, or hiring the vehicles within five years of importation without prior ZIMRA approval. Despite these regulations, many car dealers were reportedly exploiting the system by registering vehicles in the names of civil servants, who would receive payments for facilitating duty evasion.

Mr Reza emphasised that inter-agency collaboration has been key to curbing corruption under Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) from 2021 to 2025, pledging continued crackdowns on offenders.

Speaking after the signing, Mr Mandiwanza described the integrity pledges as a public commitment to transparency, accountability, and probity. "Today, we do more than just affix our signatures; we proclaim unequivocally and publicly our unwavering commitment to the principles of probity, transparency, and accountability-principles that are the very bedrock of a reputable and high-performing institution," he said.

Commissioner-General Chinamasa reiterated that ZIMRA remains committed to working with ZACC to strengthen corruption prevention mechanisms and ensure transparent revenue collection. The pledges are seen as a major institutional shift, signalling that graft will not be tolerated in Zimbabwe's key revenue-collecting authority.