Online Reporter
Fidelis Munyoro-Chief Reporter
This year, the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission (ZICC) will get a n opportunity to demonstrate dedication to the principles of justice, fairness, and meaningful institutional reform. The commission shoulders the responsibility of embodying the nation’s hope for a security sector that is transparent, accountable, and is conscious of the needs of its citizens. Against this backdrop, Chief Reporter Fidelis Munyoro (FM) engaged in a conversation with ZICC chairman, Justice Webster Chinamora (JC), on work done so far and the vision that lies ahead.
FM: As we embark on this new year, can you offer an overview of ZICC since your appointment less than five months ago?
JC: After appointment of commissioners in September 2024, we drew an organisational structure which has been submitted for approval in line with the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act [Chapter 10:31]. We are now preparing draft regulations. These will inform all parties how complaints are lodged and handled by the commission. If hearings are necessary, the regulations will spell out the procedure for taking evidence and disposal of complaints. This will be followed by recruitment of relevant staff.
FM: ZICC is in its infancy, what significant milestones has it achieved since its establishment, and what are your future plans for next six months?
JC: We came up with a strategic plan for 2024-2025 aligned with National Development Strategy 1 and an achievable work plan. This strategic plan reflects the vision of the ZICC. This strives for a Zimbabwe where national and human security are in harmony, and in sync with the United Nation Sustainable Development Goal 16 which seeks to promote peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. Our goal mirrors the constitutional objective of establishing a people-centred security service. Our strategic and work plan has lined up programmes focusing on improvement of human security and attainment of civil security conflict prevention.
FM: What role do you envision ZICC playing in fostering accountability, professionalism, and trust between security institutions and the citizens they serve?
JC: Debunking the notion that the security sector is a contentious area is the starting point. I prefer to view members of the security services and the public as equal players who can work together to achieve a society where human rights, respect for the rule of law and fairness can be achieved. Our role as ZICC is to deal with complaints which come to us, impartially and without prejudging issues. We will allow the parties to present their respective cases freely and transparently without inhibition. That is the best way to achieve accountability.
FM: As a trailblazing institution in Zimbabwe, ZICC lacks direct precedence within the country. How are you navigating this uncharted territory, and are there international models or success stories that you are drawing inspiration from to shape ZICC’s trajectory?
JC: ZICC was operationalised in September 2024 when commission members were appointed and sworn in by the President, His Excellency Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa. I accept that there is no local precedent to draw from. Nevertheless, we have looked at developments in other countries in Africa and abroad. It has not been easy to find a model which is a “one stop shop” dealing with complaints against the entire spectrum of security services like ZICC.
The complaint commissions in South Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand address police and army complaints separately. The complaints commission that Malawi is creating focuses on complaints against the police. We can learn from those examples and adapt them to suit our own all-encompassing commission.
We have also considered the complaints mechanism in Europe which, essentially, is the Ombudsperson model. In Sweden and Finland complaints are channelled through the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The Ombudsperson approach is not novel to Zimbabwe since we had such an office in the 1980s. However, the Australian model provides important lessons. I say so because New South Wales has a system of classifying and managing complaints by allocating specific roles to the Police Integrity Commission, the Police Service and the Ombudsman. Jamaica’s Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is also significantly relevant to us and merits intimate examination. This is because INDECO provides oversight over members of all the security services.
This is the type of mechanism envisaged by our Constitution and the ZICC. It is imperative to benchmark our process against these international examples. We have planned benchmarking visits to some of these countries.
FM: What mechanisms or strategies is ZICC putting in place to ensure voices and complaints of ordinary Zimbabweans are heard, investigated, and addressed with efficiency and fairness?
JC: We are drafting regulations with specific procedures on how a complaint is made; timeline for responding; right to legal representation; and rules that apply when a hearing is conducted, as well as the right to approach the High Court for a review of a decision of the commission. In addition, the regulations will have elaborate provisions for access to and control of information and records pertaining to investigations; the procedure to be followed in investigations and reporting; the periods within which any investigation, consideration and/or determination of complaints should be completed.
FM: What is your personal philosophy on leadership, and how does it align with the mandate of ZICC to transform Zimbabwe’s security landscape for the better?
JC: My idea of leadership is the ability to head an organisation and influence change. I want to guide the Commission in achieving security sector reform through fostering a partnership between the public and the securocrat. Once there is an impartial and open approach to how we conduct our work, public trust is restored and mutual suspicions eliminated. If ZICC achieves this, then the constitutional imperative is accomplished.
FM: What initiatives or outreach programmes are you planning to launch this year to enhance ZICC’s visibility, accessibility, and relationship with the people?
JC: Public trust is key to our work. So we must build good relations with the public, security sector and other constitutional commissions whose mandate overlap with ours.
To mind comes the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Prosecutor General’s Office. I am glad the Independent Complaints Commission Act provides that ZICC cannot deal with cases already being handled by another independent commission or the courts.
This year, we will embark on public awareness initiatives. These campaigns will use radio, television, social media to maximise access. We want people to know what ZICC is here to build trust between the public and law enforcement officers.
FM: What challenges has ZICC faced in holding powerful institutions and individuals accountable, and how do you plan to overcome those obstacles without compromising the Commission’s independence?
JC: So far the Commission has not dealt with any case. I do not foresee problems in dealing with what you are calling powerful individuals. Our mandate includes handling complaints justly and without fear or favour. The assertion that accountability in the security sector is often met with resistance is a stereotype that will not distract our work. I would like to assume that the majority of servicemen and women are law-abiding people with the national interest at heart. Besides, I have not found anything to show that there is demonstrable institutional or systemic rogueness. I am enthused by interactions we have had so far with the chiefs for the Police, CIO and Prison Service, which point to an appetite for ZICC. The message coming through is that the securocrat has nothing to hide, so ZICC will not be hindered.
FM: How are you working with other stakeholders—civil society, the judiciary, parliament, and international partners—to build a strong foundation for the Commission’s work?
JC: ZICC intends to foster collaborative partnerships with the civic society, judiciary and Parliament of Zimbabwe, and other human rights commissions. We will work with civil society organisations in staff training for capacity building and in nationwide awareness campaigns. We believe that such collaboration diffuses any perceived myths around the work of the commission. We have not been set up by the Constitution as a human rights pressure group or to do any witch-hunts. It is our hope that in the second quarter of 2025, ZICC would have engaged most of the international partners and participated in benchmarking collaborative activities.
FM: Finally, what is your hope for ZICC by the end of 2025?
JC-I have already outlined my leadership philosophy. If by the end of 2025, the way we handle and dispose of complaints reflects transparency, impartiality and fairness set out in the Constitution, that is my boldest hope for 2025.
daniel chigunwe
