Why allow corruption to proliferate?

CORRUPTION is one of the major impediments to economic and social development in any country in the world.

The scourge needs to be nipped in the bud by dedicated people who have the nation at heart not few individuals who are merely after self-aggrandisement.

It is estimated that close to US$2 billion is lost to corruption on a yearly basis.

The rampant and systematic corruption, permeating both the private and public sectors, has reached crescendo.

The scourge ranges from petty bribery to grand corruption and if left unabated, can consume our beautiful country, a nation that used to be the breadbasket of southern Africa.

People have the temerity to indulge in corrupt activities in the open, without fear of being arrested or prosecuted, which leaves one to wonder the motive behind such.

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If corruption is not nipped in the bud as a matter of urgency, chances of achieving an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 will get slim by the year.

This cancer that is nibbling at our economy needs serious interventions, including political chemotherapy, radical radiotherapy and necessary surgery to eliminate the deep-seated tumours where the cancer is spreading from.

There are many government departments in Zimbabwe that are known to be seriously corrupt.

It is common knowledge that for one to get a driver’s licence, one has to grease officials at the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID).

The game still continues even today and at some centres, provisional licences cost between US$80 and US$100 to acquire, where VID officials will allocate seats at computers with pre-marked answers to those who would have paid.

Since the answers are already provided, it does not require one’s knowledge to pass.

This is happening at many VID centres in the country.

Imagine how much is paid by 20 prospective drivers in a single day.

Some people are taking home more than US$2 000 as proceeds of corruption.

This is surprising considering that we have a whole Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry which should ensure corruption is eradicated at that government arm.

What surprises me is the fact that victims of corruption actually know all those behind the vice at such departments.

The perpetrators seem untouchable, but it is our prayer that one day, these people will be held accountable for their unethical practices.

There are many organisations that investigate corruption in the country and these include the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), the police, the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet, as well as the Police Anti-Corruption Unit.

We wonder if all these organisations are doing enough to combat corruption. If the stolen wealth was to be put to good use, the country would drastically improve its public health system hence raising the standards of living of citizenry.

Public health service delivery is in the doldrums, with massive brain drain not helping the situation at the moment.

There is serious demotivation among workers where both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are totally absent.

Where are we headed if we fail to improve our health delivery system?

The Lands ministry has lately been in the Press for the wrong reasons.

For a long time, corruption has taken centre stage in the allocation of land.

Recently, Seke, Chegutu and Zvimba rural district councils were also in the papers for the wrong reasons.

The level of corruption is so high that one does not care about the thousands of families that may be affected when they are evicted because someone just produced a fraudulent offer letter.

The Standard newspaper ran a story about Warwick Farm near Lake Chivero, which has close to 1 000 settlers.

The farm was said to have been gazetted by government sometime in 2003 when land resettlement was in progress.

Today, the same war veterans who settled at the farm during the peak of land invasion are facing eviction since the farm is now being regarded as private property.

A previously gazetted farm being changed to personal property and then evicting settlers who have been there for over 22 years should call for Zacc's intervention as to how the farm was changed from State land to private property.

I got relieved when I heard that the case was under Zacc’s radar and I am waiting to see how the issue is going to unfold.

If acts of corruption are detected, the culprits should be brought to book without fear or favour.

The Head of State should know that there are many detractors in government departments who are bent on derailing national progress.

Heads should roll in many departments if sanity is to be restored.

Zacc should investigate all cases of corruption and the nation awaits results with bated breath.

Corruption is one way of seriously sabotaging the country.

• Johannes Marisa is a medical practitioner who is the current president of the Medical and Dental Private Practitioners Association of Zimbabwe.