By Staff Reporter
HARARE — The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) has called for the resignation of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo and Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Frederick Shava following court proceedings over their unauthorised borrowing of public welfare funds.
In a statement on Monday, ACT-SA said the two ministers had accessed money from statutory welfare funds meant to support vulnerable groups, including children, older persons, people with disabilities and livelihood and skills development programmes.
The organisation said the ministers only repaid the money after contempt of court proceedings were instituted against them for failing to comply with an earlier High Court order directing them to reimburse the funds within the stipulated period.
Although the repayment resulted in the contempt application being struck off the roll, ACT-SA said the development did not erase what it described as a serious breach of public trust.
“Public resources, particularly those intended for vulnerable citizens, must never be accessed outside the law.
“Repayment after the threat of imprisonment does not erase the breach of public trust,” ACT-SA Zimbabwe chapter national director Munyaradzi Bidi said.
He said the conduct attributed to the ministers fell below the ethical standards expected of holders of high public office and urged them to step down to uphold ministerial responsibility and restore public confidence.
ACT-SA said the alleged abuse of welfare funds echoed past scandals involving public money, including the looting of Covid-19 funds that led to the dismissal of former Health Minister Obadiah Moyo.
The organisation also raised concern over Shava’s reported involvement, noting his name had previously featured in the Willowgate scandal of the late 1980s.
While saying each matter should be judged on its own merits, ACT-SA said recurring integrity concerns involving senior public officials highlighted the need for greater scrutiny in ministerial appointments.
“This case should serve as a wake-up call.
“Zimbabwe must break the cycle of recycling individuals whose records have repeatedly attracted serious questions about integrity,” Bidi said.
ACT-SA urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to ensure future appointments to Cabinet and other senior public offices are guided by integrity, accountability and ethical leadership.
The organisation also called on the government to strengthen ministerial codes of ethics, tighten compliance with public finance laws and court orders, and ensure public officials who breach fiduciary duties face appropriate political and administrative sanctions.
ACT-SA said corruption extended beyond outright theft to include the abuse of entrusted public office or resources for improper purposes, adding that ethical leadership remained central to Zimbabwe’s anti-corruption efforts.
