Corruption

RENEWED calls by President Mnangagwa for Zimbabweans to put a halt to all forms of corrupt activities — to walk the straight and narrow should be heeded by all progressive citizens if the country is to emerge from the murky economic waters.

Following the resignation of members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Parliament on Thursday commenced the process of reconstituting the commission by calling for nominations to be made.

The country expects to see a commission that will at least give some positive results that blend in with the President’s vision of getting the country on a sound economic trajectory. Corrupt currency dealings, money laundering, abuse of office, demanding bribes, general mendacity and all other forms of graft have characterised the country’s economy spelling more misery and pain to the ordinary person, the unemployed and those that are honest.

The President’s pronunciation that there is an intricate network of currency speculators mostly in high places and in places of trust is evidence that he is aware of the goings on and is grounded in the truth and the troubles of the people. Corruption has been threatening not only the remaining vestiges of the country’s socio-economic order but has tattered its moral fibre leaving it threadbare and causing a severe economic retrogression whose effects are seismic and felt by many.

Corruption has become cancerous in both the private and public sectors of the country with politicians not spared by the rot either. It has become rampant, almost embedded and an accepted way of life for the Zimbabwean society. The extent to which it has spread is such that it can be engaged in openly despite the known legal consequences that have rarely been effected, making it look very petty especially in most Government departments where people expect to get kickbacks for a job they are employed to do.

Prosecutor General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi said they were going to act decisively on corruption cases, “Certainly, you are going to see high-profile cases being prosecuted. The public demands that and we demand that at the end of the day. The whole anti-corruption thrust, which has captured the imagination of the people, and what the President has said both at his first inauguration and when he ushered in the Second Republic was that the fight against corruption is going to be central to economic recovery.

“Frankly speaking, people are tired, people know very well that it is corruption which is causing things like potholes on the roads, shortages of goods, and it has to do with these corrupt syndicates. People are not fools, they want to see justice and corruption is going to be dealt with decisively and dismantled. People will be arrested and more will be brought before the courts soon,” warned Mr Hodzi.

The economic dangers of corruption no matter how small are so many. According to a market brief by the African Development Bank, corrupt practices distort markets and stifle economic growth and sustainable development including robbing countries of critically needed resources.