The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has combined forces with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to expose and dismantle corrupt activities in environmental governance.
This was revealed by ZACC Chairperson Mr Michael Reza during the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
The signing ceremony was attended by the new ZACC commissioners.
He promised to hunt those who profit from illegal mining, leaving behind poisoned rivers and unreclaimed land while communities suffer the loss of livestock and agricultural land.
Mr Reza said the MoU is a weapon against corruption in environmental governance, which is prone to malpractices like illegal mining, fraudulent environmental impact assessments, illegal timber logging, human-induced land degradation, and abuse of carbon credit systems.
“The MoU between ZACC and EMA is indicative of our mutual desire to eradicate corruption and protect the environment.
“Eradicating corruption in environment management guarantees a sustainable, safer, and greener future for all Zimbabweans.
“Corruption sabotages environmental laws, accelerates climate change, and devastates ecosystems that communities depend on for survival.
“The impacts of corruption on environmental management are gaining global traction.
“Regionally, we draw strength from the SADC Protocol Against Corruption, which brings anti-corruption agencies together to confront shared challenges.
“At last year’s meeting in Zambia, there were discussions on how corruption exploits disasters like cyclones and climate-induced droughts.
“Zimbabwe cannot afford to ignore these global and regional indicators,” he said.
Commissioner Reza said in Zimbabwe criminal syndicates who have come to be known as land barons have invaded wetlands and are illegally selling these to unsuspecting housing land seekers.
“Wetlands are a vital ecosystem service for water regulation, flood control, and carbon sequestration that contributes to a healthy planet and human well-being.
“As ZACC we are handling several cases of illegal selling of lands and we are on the lookout for more.
“The MOU we sign today confronts these threats head-on.
“We will expose and dismantle the networks behind fraudulent environmental impact assessments, where bribes silence regulators and greenlight destructive projects.
“We will hunt those who profit from illegal mining, leaving behind poisoned rivers and un-reclaimed land while communities suffer the loss of livestock and agricultural land.
“We will shut down the scams in carbon markets, where fake credits undermine global climate efforts.
“And we will stop the mercury smugglers whose toxic trade kills wildlife, livestock and human beings alike,” added Mr Reza.
He also said, the fight against environmental crimes demands more than words.
“It requires training investigators to track environmental crimes in order to secure convictions.
“In requires investments in technology, for example satellites, data analytics and forensic audits to root out corruption.
“It also requires raising awareness of communities and citizens about environmental laws because an attack on Zimbabwe’s land, water, and wildlife is an attack on its people.”
He promised that ZACC, will work tirelessly to inculcate values of integrity on officials and stakeholders involved in the environmental management value chain, including the mining and energy sectors, establish transparency in land allocations, and ensure climate funds reach their intended purpose and not the pockets of the corrupt.
“When rivers are poisoned, forests vanish, or carbon markets are manipulated, it is the citizens who pay the price.
“This MOU is our pledge to be the voice for those victims and the shield that protects tomorrow’s Zimbabwe.
“The road ahead is difficult, but we make a commitment to defend our natural heritage.
“We will prove that good governance and environmental justice are the anchor of Zimbabwe’s future.”
EMA Board Chairperson, Ambassador Zenzo Nsimbi hailed the pact.
“As EMA, we ensure that environmental justice is achieved whilst also ensuring that this is in abeyance with the law in terms of the Environmental Management Act, the Anti-Corruption Act, and the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act.
“The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Environmental Management Agency and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission is significant in achieving the National Development Strateg,y which encourages stakeholder engagement through working together.
“It is my hope that this is the beginning of a fruitful and mutually fulfilling partnership as we begin this journey,” he said.
Ambassador, Nsimbi said, EMA is a parastatal under the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife and was established by the Environmental Management Act Chapter 20:27 in 2002 and began operations in 2007.
“The Agency’s mandate is to ensure the sustainable utilisation of natural resources as well as the protection of the environment.
“Both the Agency and the Commission play a key role in ensuring the livelihood of both the present and future generations of our country, Zimbabwe.
“The responsibility that we have been given through this Memorandum of Understanding is one of great importance.
“I pledge that my team and I will approach it with requisite vigour, urgency and the efficiency needed to ensure a clean, safe and healthy environment for all the citizens of Zimbabwe as enshrined in section 73 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.”
 against corrupt environmental criminals){kind=link}