Commissioners at the docile Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission will get hefty golden handshakes - including deals on houses and luxury cars, cash and generators - at a time when the organisation has been paralysed by lack of funding.

This has enraged officers at the commission who are struggling to access money to carry out investigations into high levels of corruption allegedly committed by senior Zanu-PF officials and cabinet ministers.

The commission has been rocked by allegations that the commissioners - who are now operating illegally following the expiry of their mandate in September last year - have been stifling investigations.

The party and government officials are reportedly working overtime, distracting President Robert Mugabe from swearing in a new commission, which includes those appointed by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The Sunday Times has gathered that in April, Mugabe approved the commissioners' demands for massive exit packages. Documents show that Addulman Eric Harid, chairman; Rutendo Faith Wutawunashe, vice-chairman; Kuziwa Nyamwanza; Juliet Machoba; Casper Khumalo; Alice Nkomo; Bessie Fadzai Nhandara and Elasto Madzingira have requested the severance packages. This is despite the fact that, since their appointment in 2005, not a single case of serious corruption has been successfully investigated and prosecuted.

The commissioners requested the packages through the chief secretary to the cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, who in turn went to Mugabe for approval.

"It is recommended that the personal issue vehicles they had as at 31 March 2010 be sold to them at the CMED-approved residual rates. In the case of those whose vehicles are not suitable, appropriate used vehicles should be identified by CMED for purchase by the commissioners.

"An exit handshake equivalent of US$10 000 per commissioner and an extra $5 000 for the vice-chairperson is being recommended for your Excellency's consideration. It is further proposed that each commissioner not being retained be allowed to take the laptop or desktop computer which was applicable to their office.

"Each commissioner who is not being retained should be allowed to keep one generator and two gas lamps which they used at home in view of the incessant blackouts.

"All commissioners, it is recommended, be allowed to purchase their official houses. The incoming commissioners will be allocated institutional houses by the appropriate ministry. It is recommended that the commissioners not being retained be allowed to fuel at CMED garages," reads part of the request to Mugabe.

However, one official who spoke to the Sunday Times said it was immoral to reward the commissioners for doing nothing. "What are they being rewarded for? It's strange that we do not have money to carry out investigations, yet government wants to reward these commissioners. Maybe they are being rewarded for successfully blocking the investigations of their highly connected friends.

"All we hope for is a new commission - not this idea of rewarding failure. These commissioners must just go and let's have new people who are really independent and serious about fighting corruption," said the official.

The appointment of the anti-corruption commission is one of the outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). Zanu-PF officials are reportedly putting pressure on Mugabe to retain some commissioners who have served two terms, but the constitution says they cannot be re-appointed.

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said this was being done deliberately to delay the appointment of new independent commissioners.

"They want to recycle old failure. The law says those who have served two terms cannot come back. Zanu-PF people know this, yet they keep bringing in the names so that the process of appointing new commissioners takes long.

"The current commissioners are sitting on dockets and that is why they will do anything to derail new appointments. But we will make sure there is a new anti-corruption commission soon and corruption will be investigated properly," said Chamisa.

Last week, Mugabe said the new commission would be sworn in soon but did not give details.

By The Times (SA)