Corruption in Zimbabwe explained

Corruption in Zimbabwe has become endemic within its political, private and civil sectors.[1]

Corruption in the public sector

The findings of a 2000 survey commissioned by Transparency International Zimbabwe found that Zimbabwean citizens regarded the public sector as the most corrupt sector in the country. In this survey respondents favoured the police as being most corrupt followed by political parties, parliament/legislature, public officials/civil servants and the judiciary.[2] In 2008, a Transparency International director announced that Zimbabwe loses US$5 million to corruption every day.[3]

On Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Zimbabwe scored 24 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Zimbabwe ranked 149th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[4] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180).[5] For comparison with regional scores, the average score among sub-Saharan African countries was 33. The highest score in sub-Saharan Africa was 71 and the lowest score was 11.[6]

Diamond trade

In 2011, Finance Minister Tendai Biti claimed that at least US$1 billion in diamond-related revenue owed to the national treasury remains unaccounted for. Biti has blamed corruption, misappropriation and a lack of transparency for the systematic underselling of diamonds and the failure to recoup losses.[7] In an address to parliament, Biti said “it is worrying that there is no connection whatsoever between diamond exports made by Zimbabwe and the revenues realised thereof”.[8]

President Robert Mugabe and his politburo have also come under criticism for making personal benefits by assigning lucrative concessions in the Marange diamond fields to Chinese firms and the Zimbabwean military. The Zimbabwean military, which oversees the Marange fields, has been accused of systematic human rights abuses and smuggling of diamonds to neighbouring Mozambique.[9]

ZimBank Lottery

In January 2000, Fallot Chawaua, the Master of Ceremonies of a promotional lottery organised by the Zimbabwe Banking Corporation, announced that Robert Mugabe won the Z$100,000 first prize jackpot.[10] [11] The lottery was open to all clients who had kept Z$5,000 or more in their ZimBank accounts.[10] [11]

Indigenisation bills

In March 2008, President Mugabe formally approved the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Bill, which gave the government the right to seize a controlling 51% stake in foreign and white-owned businesses.[12] There are wide concerns that the beneficiaries of this Bill will be members of the ruling Zimbabwean elite, particularly after the enforcement of the Land Acquisition Act of 1992 and the Land Reform and Resettlement Programme Phase 2 of 1998 led to the misappropriation of commercial farm land and violent land invasions.[13] [14]

Anti-corruption efforts

Anti-corruption efforts in Zimbabwe are governed by the following legislation:

The Zimbabwean Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was established after the passing of the Anti-Corruption Commission Bill in June 2004.The Commission is a signatory to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol as well as the African Union (AU) and United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption. However, according to a 2009 report by Global Integrity, the Commission is highly inefficient and “has very little authority to take steps aimed at stopping corruption in Zimbabwe”.[15] Out of 147 corruption cases reviewed by the Commission in 2006, only four were completed. The ACC is currently chaired by Denfor Chirindo, who was appointed on 1 September 2011.[16]

List Of Corruption Scandals In Zimbabwe

Here is a list of reported corruption scandals in Zimbabwe since 1980:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Country Study Report, Final Report: Zimbabwe (2006/7). National Integrity Systems. Transparency International. 2007. 2012-04-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20121122204021/http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/nis/nis_reports_by_country. 2012-11-22. dead.
  2. Web site: Daily Lives and Corruption: Public Opinion in Zimbabwe. Deborah Hardoon with Finn Heinrich. 2011. Transparency International.
  3. Web site: 2008 Assessment: Reporter's Notebook: Zimbabwe. Njabulo Ncube. Global Integrity. 2008. 2012-04-25. https://archive.today/20120715142551/http://report.globalintegrity.org/Zimbabwe/2008/notebook. 2012-07-15. dead.
  4. Web site: The ABCs of the CPI: How the Corruption Perceptions Index is calculated . 17 March 2024 . Transparency.org. 20 December 2021 . en.
  5. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2023: Zimbabwe . 17 March 2024 . Transparency.org . 30 January 2024 . en.
  6. Web site: CPI 2023 for Sub-Saharan Africa: Impunity for Corrupt Officials, Restricted Civic Space & Limited Access to Justice . 17 March 2024 . Transparency.org . 30 January 2024 . en.
  7. Web site: Diamonds worth US$1bn missing. Clemence Manyukwe. The Financial Gazette. 12 August 2011. 25 April 2012. https://archive.today/20120731094003/http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/national-report/9417-diamonds-worth-us1bn-missing.html. 31 July 2012. dead.
  8. Web site: Zimbabwe Finance Minister says diamond export and revenue figures do not add up. Diamond Dealers Club New York. Diamond Dealers Club New York. 27 July 2011. 25 April 2012. https://archive.today/20120907121414/http://www.nyddc.com/zimbabwe-finance-minister-says-diamond-export-and-revenue-figures-do-not-add-up.aspx. 7 September 2012. dead.
  9. Web site: Global Integrity Report: Zimbabwe Notebook 2011. Njabulo Ncube. Global Integrity. 2011. 2012-04-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20130508090847/http://www.globalintegrity.org/report/Zimbabwe/2011/notebook. 2013-05-08. dead.
  10. Book: Why Nations Fail . Crown Publishers . Acemoglu, Daron . 2011 . New York . 368 . 978-0-307-71921-8 . registration .
  11. Web site: Mugabe hits the jackpot . BBC . 28 January 2000 . 16 August 2013.
  12. Web site: Mugabe approve new ownership law . BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 9 March 2008.
  13. Web site: States in Development: State Building and Service Delivery; Final Report. Jack Eldon and Derek Gunby. HLSP. April 2009.
  14. Web site: Polls, leaks and expropriations . Africa Confidential. Africa Confidential. 18 November 2011.
  15. Web site: Zimbabwe – Scorecard 2011: Anti-Corruption Agency or Equivalent Mechanisms. Global Integrity. Global Integrity. 2011. 25 April 2012. 19 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419205523/https://indabaplatform.com/ids/widgets/vcardDisplayIndicators.html?horseId=656&includeLogo=1&version=1&frameId=frame1&helper=http://www.globalintegrity.org/indaba_widget_helper.html&subcatId=79. dead.
  16. Web site: Zimbabwe: Anti-Corruption Commission Sworn in . Lance Guma . PUBLISHER. 2 September 2011.
  17. Web site: Mnangagwa named in Zesa scam. 16 May 2018.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Corruption in Zimbabwe".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.