By Takunda Mandura
Corruption is no longer just an act of dishonesty. It is a national threat. It undermines economies, destroys social trust, and cripples development. Across Africa and the world, corruption has become a silent pandemic, stealing livelihoods and leaving broken systems in its wake.
In Zimbabwe, the effects are visible in almost every sector. Hospitals lack basic medication, some schools run without proper infrastructure, and road networks are dilapidated. Entire communities are denied clean water, while billions are siphoned out through illicit deals.
Instead of being embarrassed by corruption, many leaders and elites thrive on it, and citizens, especially the youth, are beginning to see dishonesty as a badge of success. This shift is dangerous. It normalises corruption and plants the seeds of a rotten future.
A Continent Bleeding from Corruption
Africa is rich in natural resources, yet many of its citizens remain among the poorest in the world. The main culprit is corruption and weak institutions.
In Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, decades of oil revenue disappeared through mismanagement and outright theft. Instead of hospitals, roads, and schools, that money has built private mansions in Europe and funded luxury lifestyles for a small elite.
The instability created by this has fueled militancy in the Niger Delta, terrorism in the North-East, and deep poverty across the country.
South Africa’s story is no different. Under former President Jacob Zuma, state capture became the defining phrase.
Powerful private interests looted state-owned enterprises, draining Eskom, the national power utility, to the brink of collapse.
Ordinary South Africans live with constant blackouts, which they call “load shedding” because corruption hollowed out critical infrastructure.
The country’s economy remains unstable, and inequality persists in widening.
Closer to Zimbabwe, Mozambique was rocked by the “hidden debt scandal.” Government officials secretly borrowed over $2 billion, allegedly for fishing projects, but much of the money was siphoned off.
When the truth came out, the economy tanked, the currency collapsed, and ordinary citizens bore the cost in rising poverty.
Globally, the story repeats itself. Brazil’s Petrobras scandal exposed how billions were stolen through rigged contracts, shaking the entire political establishment.
In Malaysia, the 1MDB scandal saw funds meant for national development diverted into the personal accounts of politicians and their allies, with luxury yachts, jewellery, and Hollywood investments as the proof.
The pattern is clear: where corruption thrives, instability follows. Economies collapse, governments lose legitimacy, and citizens lose trust.
Zimbabwe: Paying the High Price of Corruption
Zimbabwe has not been spared. The Auditor General’s reports regularly expose billions unaccounted for in government ministries. Scandals around gold smuggling and procurement fraud continue to dominate headlines.
While the country bleeds foreign currency, hospitals operate without painkillers, schools rely on parents to fund basics, and service delivery collapses.
Local government is another corruption hotspot. In Harare, allegations of inflated tenders and land scams are common.
This is why residents still live with poor water supply, uncollected garbage, and deteriorating infrastructure. The money meant to fix these problems often disappears.
When corruption steals public resources, it is the poor who pay the highest price. In the healthcare sector, results in critical drug and equipment shortages due to theft and diversion, increased patient costs through bribes and illegal fees, and weakened public trust in a system marked by nepotism, absenteeism, and procurement fraud.
Matabeleland North recorded the worst Grade 7 pass rate in 2021, with 51 schools failing to produce a single pass, though the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education described this as an improvement from 2020, when 85 schools had a zero per cent pass rate. This highlights how corruption robs the poor of opportunities due to infrastructure and resource challenges
Corruption hurts the poor most. It raises costs, limits access to health, education, and justice, widens inequality, and drives away investment, jobs, and growth.
The Dangerous Normalisation of Corruption
The most worrying trend is how corruption is no longer shocking. In fact, it is becoming admired. Profit-seeking has become routine among the wheeler-dealer elite, while the working poor extract bribes to supplement their salaries. The declaration of “zero tolerance to corruption” and “war against corruption” in Zimbabwe becomes more of rhetoric than reality.
Young people, who should be rejecting dishonesty, are now looking up to those who are corrupt.
Flashy lifestyles, expensive cars, and designer clothes funded by looted money are seen as success stories. “Mbingas” flaunt wealth on social media, and instead of asking where the money comes from, many youths aspire to be like them.
This culture shift is deadly. When young people see kungwavha ngwavha /ukuhlangahlanganisa as the only way to “make it,” honesty and hard work lose value. Education becomes pointless if the quickest route to wealth is bribery or connections. The message is dangerous crime pays, integrity doesn’t.
This admiration is visible not just in Zimbabwe but across Africa. In Nigeria, “Yahoo Yahoo” internet fraudsters are celebrated in some communities.
In South Africa, tenderpreneurs who benefit from corrupt state contracts are idolised. The more society normalises corruption, the deeper the rot sets in.
The Way Forward: Breaking the Cycle
Stopping corruption is not impossible. Countries like Rwanda, Botswana, and Singapore prove that progress can be made when there is political will.
For Zimbabwe, urgent reforms are needed: whistleblower protection laws to shield citizens who expose graft, stronger and independent institutions free from political interference, and full transparency in public finance so that every dollar is accounted for.
Prosecution must have no sacred cows; justice should reach the powerful as well as the weak. Above all, the culture must change, with integrity celebrated and corruption shamed, giving young people role models who succeed through hard work and honesty, not looting.
Citizens are not powerless. By refusing to pay bribes, reporting corruption, and demanding accountability from leaders, ordinary people can drive change.
Civil society organisations and the media also play a critical role in exposing wrongdoing and keeping pressure on authorities.
But the fight cannot succeed without political will. Leaders must demonstrate through action, not rhetoric, that corruption will not be tolerated.
The fight against corruption is not optional. It is survival.
Takunda Mandura is the Communications and Advocacy Officer for Transparency International Zimbabwe. He writes in his personal capacity.
