Opinion / Columnist
Corruption exists in every country, undermines social justice in many and Zimbabwe has not been spared
30 Jun 2015 at 19:41hrs | Views
Corruption diverts public funds meant for development to rich elites, raids resources intended for poverty reduction and distorts the economy, with the biggest impact felt by the poorest people in the society.
According to most economists, the root cause of corruption lies in the delegation of power. It is the discretionary use of that power and the often monopolistic position public officials enjoy when dealing with contracts, which make corruption possible.
The incentives and opportunities for corruption depend on the size of the rents, or the personnel profits, which public agents can derive from allocating those contracts. I have seen these dealings in different institutions, from churches to government organisation, for a good example the allocation of residential stands in Chitungwiza which has prompted the City of Harare to embark on demolition of some houses which were built on undesignated land.
Corruption therefore occurs at points where political, bureaucratic and economic interests coincide. There is also legislative corruption when politicians betray the electorate by selling their votes to pressure groups for example the recently held harmonised elections in Zimbabwe in 2013 and the recently held June 2015 By-Election, there were reports of the ruling party busing people to go and cast their votes yet they were not registered in those constituencies. People should be wary of such tendencies.
There is also administrative corruption, when public officials take pay-offs to allow someone secure procurement contracts or to gain immunity for tax evasion. In fact, opportunities for misdemeanours exist at every level, from grant corruption in the highest public offices, to petty corruption at the lowest rungs on the ladder.
Corruption is based on different interested parties,pressure groups and citizens trying to maximise their gains by paying bribes, while public officials try to maximise their illegal earnings by and politicians their power and wealth.
Bribes payers may seek to avoid or reduce costs through illegal reduction in taxes, lax enforcement of regulations or underestimated rent for public housing. A good example is a recent incident where about 500 Harare residents were avoiding paying actual amounts on their electricity bills by corruptly giving backhanders to employees in the ZESA payments offices.
Even obtaining a research grant, driver's licence at VID and a passport at Registrar General's Office is possible as long as one is willing to part with a few dollars.
I once heard one journalist saying they had not received a bribe but had been given an "inducement" Incentives bribes, pay offs and extortion are rare in developing countries and is present in developing countries.
The dubious funding of political parties is one example. There is more of contrast with the situation in many developing countries where weak governments and violation of rights are endemic. Property rights are at best being established and remain open to abuse.
Young democracies like Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe ( PDZ) often find it hard to break free of the clientism, patrimonolism or co-operatism that afflict democratic regimes. Bribes continue to be collected, often to line the pockets of the elite and to buy political backing, negatively affecting the economy.
Natural resources are likely to be sold for above mark . The costs of corruption are difficult to calculate, partly because of the secrecy associated with this scourge and also because of the distortions are hard to measure.
Leonard Koni
PDZ Spokesperson
Source - Leonard Koni
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