Whistleblowers Bill report out

Nyore Madzianike-Senior Reporter

THE Whistleblowers and Witness Protection Bill has received an adverse report from the Parliamentary Legal Committee, with a meeting with the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi scheduled for today to make further considerations on the draft.

The development follows recent public hearings conducted nationwide by the Parliamentary Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to gather public views before the proposed legislation proceeds further through the law-making process. The hearings were jointly conducted by Parliament and the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption.

During the consultations, citizens, organisations and other stakeholders made oral and written submissions on the proposed law, which are now being considered by Parliament.

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Eddison Zvobgo (Jnr), said the Committee is set to make recommendations on the proposed legislation during the meeting.

Cde Zvobgo also revealed that the Committee had received submissions from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and other stakeholders, which would also be considered during the meeting.

“The Bill has already received an adverse report from the Parliamentary Legal Committee. We will recommend suitable changes and amendments. We have also received submissions from ZACC and other stakeholders that we need to consider as well,” he said.

Cde Zvobgo said the meeting would also consider whether there was a need to make changes or improvements to certain issues raised by the Parliamentary Legal Committee.

“It will also leave us to see whether the Minister will make an appeal to the Parliamentary Legal Committee on issues raised or that he will seek Parliament to overrule the adverse report,” he said.

The Bill seeks to establish a legal framework for protecting whistle-blowers who disclose information about conduct that is harmful to the public interest, as well as witnesses whose co-operation is important to criminal investigations and prosecutions. At its core, the proposed legislation is intended to encourage people to report corruption and other forms of wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.

It covers disclosures relating to corruption, bribery, fraud, abuse of office, misuse of public resources and violations of the law.

The Bill provides safeguards against reprisals and occupational detriment, while also requiring measures to protect the confidentiality and identities of whistleblowers.

It also seeks to protect people who make disclosures in good faith and extends the proposed framework to both the public and private sectors.

Source: Whistleblowers Bill report out – herald

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