LAW enforcement authorities have called for the urgent enactment of Zimbabwe's Whistleblower Protection Bill saying weak legal safeguards are enabling the bribery and intimidation of witnesses.
The call was made during a workshop organised by the Transparency International Zimbabwe (TI-Z) Monday, to consolidate stakeholder voices for the enactment of the Whistleblowers and Witness Protection Bill in Zimbabwe.
Participants included officials from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the National Prosecuting Authority, legal professionals, community stakeholders and anti-corruption organisations.
Late last year, the government approved principles of the Whistleblowers and Witness Protection Bill through Cabinet and the legislation is still in the process of being enacted and fully implemented into law.
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Participants said the absence of strong protection mechanisms was discouraging citizens from reporting crime and corruption, while others were allegedly being bribed to withdraw statements or change testimony.
ZRP Superintendent Victor Phiri said fear of victimisation remained a major obstacle to securing evidence.
"There is fear from members of the public who may not be willing to come forward and give us evidence, fearing victimisation," he said.
He added that economic hardships were worsening the problem, with some witnesses abandoning cases after receiving inducements.
"Some of our witnesses deliberately, as the case is moving on, decide to change course maybe after receiving some incentives from their aggressors or the persons they want to witness against," Phiri said.
A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) official Mabvuto Maseko stressed the need for tighter safeguards within the proposed law to protect genuine whistleblowers while preventing abuse of the system.
"There is a need to ensure that the mechanisms we put in place through that Act are watertight enough to ensure proper protection to witnesses who come forward.
"But on the same footing, we have to be wary of people who then make use of the law in the form of business. There are people who take it as a form of employment, to inform against others, yet at times without any basis," the official said.
The official also warned of risks posed by investigators who may expose whistleblowers during audits.
"Then the other risk comes from those who will be carrying out the audits or carrying out investigations.
"It can be auditors from Zimbabwe, it can be investigators from the police, it can be investigators from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. We have yet situations where a person goes to court, we start carrying out an audit or an investigation, and then that person comes back to say, I was called by the company that I was working at, and they told me that the investigators told me that I gave information to them. So that is another risk that I think should be addressed by this bill, the Act."
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An official from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Beaven Murevanhema also welcomed the proposed law, saying it would encourage more witnesses to assist investigators.
"We welcome this whistleblower bill which is under parliament consideration because it is going to set the tone straight and we are going to have more witness coming forward if they are protected," he said.
Whistleblowers in Zimbabwe often face retaliation, imprisonment or violence, stressing the urgency of passing the law.
Meanwhile corruption is embedded in everyday interactions, particularly in access to essential public services, where citizens are often required to pay bribes.
