Parly urged to speed up enactment of whistleblower protection law

CIVIL society organisations (CSOS) have urged Parliament to speed up enactment of a whistleblower protection law to effectively fight corporate malpractices in the public sector.

This was revealed during the fifth edition of the Zimbabwe debt conference facilitated by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development and the Southern Africa Parliamentary Support Trust.

The conference was held under the theme Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Public Finance Management to Build Resilience Inclusive and Sustainable Development.

“Parliament must take the lead in the enactment of a robust national whistleblowing (legislative) framework given that it is a key element of the first line of defence against corporate malpractices in the public sector. Parliament should enforce the adherence to the already existing corporate governance systems and begin to hold corporate executives accountable for the performance of the enterprises that they preside over,” a communiqué on the debt conference read.

Civic groups also urged Parliament to conduct follow-ups on an annual basis with relevant State-owned enterprises (SoEs) and ministries to determine the extent to which the recommendations of the Auditor-General and those of the Public Accounts Committee are being implemented.

“Parliament should have a bigger role on monitoring the use of funds that have been extended to bail out State-owned enterprises (SoEs) that have been failing to deliver on their mandates. Parliament must ensure that the government effectively exercises its ownership rights and act as an informed and active owner — ensuring that SoEs governance is carried out in a transparent and accountable manner with a high degree of professionalism and effectiveness,” the civic groups said.

They urged Parliament to confirm with the line ministries and SoEs the availability, quality and implementation (use) of the performance measurement tools.

“Parliament should ensure that the SoEs are complying with all periodic and annual financial reporting requirements and external audits, delivering them on time.”