adminEconomic Focus
IT is no secret that a number of illicit deals are taking place daily from family level to corporate level in Zimbabwe to the detriment of efforts to make this economy tick again.
It has become worrying that access to basic services are no longer seen in that light but seen as favours that require palm greasing for them to be availed.
As a country, the level of corruption people are forced to endure almost everyday is worrying and if we are not careful we will effectively kill efforts to revive the economy.
Zimbabwe has all the resources and apparatus to pluck itself from this current economic situation but definitely the issue of corruption must be dealt with urgently and effectively to clear the path for economic prosperity.
There are institutions and people who are mandated to carry out specific jobs as per their requirements.
By law or by nature of businesses these institutions are supposed to do their jobs as simple as what the dotted lines say.
However, it has become so unfair to the ordinary person who for him/her to access some of these services he/she has to part with money.
In some cases some of these workers and institutions behave as if their mandate is an extra duty which they need to be paid money for them to carry it out.
They have crafted their own unseen contract which stipulates that they have to be paid extra money to do their jobs.
So widespread is the practice that almost everyone in the country has at one time come face to face with the ugly side of corruption in this country.
If we are to list the occasions and situations where people have come face to face with corruption then we might need the whole week to just do that.
It is so worrying that some of the corrupt activities are now so imbedded in some individuals that as they leave their homes everyday, their main focus would not be to go to their workstations and do what they are supposed to do but to carry out these illicit deals.
It is very rare to see something just smooth sailing without money or involvement of other third parties whose only link is corruption.
What is worrying is that as the system spreads young people are growing in a corrupt environment and it might be difficult for them to imagine or know that in fact there is a normal way of doing things.
What sort of generation is the country breeding when everyday they hear stories from their parents discussing how they had to pay their way to access almost everything.
They will actually think this is the normal situation and it will be difficult to de-school them from such thinking.
They will grow up thinking what is wrong is in fact right. They will pass these traits to their children too and history has shown that it is very difficult to rebuild something that has been destroyed.
We might be creating a problem that will haunt the country for many years to come.
Government is so clear on corruption. It admits that corruption is one of the biggest problems affecting efforts to revive the economy.
However, the best way to show seriousness is to ensure that it quickly moves in to stop the practice in Government institutions.
Some of the corrupt activities that many people have encountered are at Government institutions or rather when seeking services offered by Government.
Of course the problem has now spread to the private sector but the best way to show seriousness is to lead by example.
Overtones from people who are involved in corruption point to a carefree attitude simply because they argue that even those who are supposed to deal with corruption are doing it.
It has become a sad situation where people think that corruption is normal because even those who must be dealing with it are involved.
The issue of corruption is also indirectly hurting the economy. The perception we have created by involving ourselves in corrupt activities is working against us even outside the country.
With talk of the need to attract investors into the economy, obviously such issues like corruption are among those things those with money consider before pumping in their money.
This might not only affect our efforts to attract outside business but our businesspeople when doing business in other countries.
It will create negative perceptions even for local businesses to venture into foreign markets.
You cannot go out there and convince people to buy your products when the issue of corruption hangs on your back.
Instead of treating you in the business manner, they will be sceptical because of the corruption link.
It is high time laws are enacted to treat corruption as a serious crime which deserves the punishment it attracts.
Deterrent sentences are used worldwide to deal with crimes. When they are passed they just do not serve to punish the perpetrators but to also send a message to those who might be doing or thinking to do, so that they may stop.
We need to deal decisively with corruption. Punish those who are involved and ensure that the punishment is serious enough to send the right message that this is an evil that is eating our efforts to revive the economy.
Government must move with speed to ensure that all those who are involved in corrupt activities face the punishment they deserve.
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Online Reporter