Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere
Senior Reporter
Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has urged Southern African governments to ensure that no public procurement process is beyond scrutiny, highlighting that public trust is the cornerstone of public administration.
Speaking at the Inaugural Southern Africa Public Procurement Forum in Harare this morning, Dr Chiwenga said the region’s public procurement challenges, including abuse of direct procurement, conflicts of interest and limited public participation, reflect gaps in institutional strength, political will and enforcement.
He went on to call for effective compliance mechanisms and well-designed legal frameworks.
While acknowledging that technology offers great opportunities to strengthen procurement systems, VP Chiwenga stressed that it cannot replace ethics and accountability.
“Digital transformation represents one of the greatest opportunities for strengthening public procurement systems within our region,” he said.
“However, technology alone cannot substitute integrity, accountability and ethical leadership. They must strengthen transparency, enhance accountability and improve efficiency in procurement.
“I reaffirm Zimbabwe’s unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability and the prudent management of public resources. No individual should be above the law.
“I, therefore, urge Member States across Southern Africa to strengthen procurement authorities, build institutional capacity, protect whistleblowers acting in the public interest and adequately support anti-corruption initiatives.
“Let this forum become the place where policy meets implementation, where benchmarking becomes performance,” said VP Chiwenga.
Dr Chiwenga also launched the Zimbabwe Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems Report 2026 during the forum.
