Declare your assets: Byo residents tell MDC T councillors

BULAWAYO residents have demanded that the new MDC-T councillors declare their assets as a means of holding them to account and ensuring that they do not use their positions to accrue wealth through corruption.

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (Bupra) programmes and advocacy manager Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu said residents were going to diligently monitor the operations of council within the next five years and that declaring assets was an effective way of stamping out corruption.

"We are calling upon incoming councillors to declare their assets as a means to deter corruption during their term of office. BPRA believes that it is only by declaring their assets that the new councillors can affirm their commitment to serving the residents of Bulawayo as opposed to using their positions to accrue wealth," said Mr Ndlovu.

"In the past tenure of council there were allegations that some top brass councillors used their positions to acquire housing stands and assume control of shops that the local authority leases out. "BPRA believes that this, together with high levels of corruption in Zimbabwean society, necessitates such far reaching mechanisms to ensure that holders of public office do not abuse their positions to enrich themselves."

Mr Ndlovu said declaring assets will enable residents, civil society, the media and other whistle blowers to notice if any councillor abuses his/her position for self enrichment.

"This will serve as a deterrent for councillors who would otherwise engage in shady deals to gain wealth," he said.

Mr Ndlovu said asset declaration was a common practice for prevention of corruption in many African countries such as Nigeria where the constitution requires the head of state to also declare assets.

"The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which has been ratified by 166 countries calls for legal frameworks for asset declaration. It is BPRA's contention that despite the absence of such a legal framework in Zimbabwe, it is still prudent for councillors to declare their assets as a means to curtail corruption in their operations," said Mr Ndlovu.

"Zimbabwe itself ratified the UNCAC and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption in 2006, however to date the country has not come up with an asset declaration legal framework that will result in officials such as ministers, Members of Parliament, senior civil servants and councillors being required by law to declare their assets." Mr Ndlovu urged the Government to consider crafting a piece of legislation that will make it mandatory for public officers to declare assets.

"We believe that it is imperative for such legislation to be put in place as a means to combat corruption that is prevalent in Zimbabwe and that leads to the needs of citizens taking the back seat while public officials plunder resources," he said.

Officially opening the first session of the Eighth Parliament recently, President Mugabe said the new Government would not tolerate any form of corruption and challenged all Government officials to be accountable.