Despite its proliferation in local authorities, debilitating effects, ability to undermine service delivery, and derail poverty alleviation efforts in Zimbabwe, corruption, had until recently escaped the attention of the popular press and scholarship. Corruption is endemic across Zimbabwean society and institutions, often escaping censure due to it being accepted as part of normal business by purveyors and victims alike. However, as this paper argues, the culture of corruption has severe effects on not just the moral fabric of society, but also the material wellbeing of people, and warrants immediate and stern action, if Zimbabwe is to escape the vicious cycle of poverty, crime and under-development. While corruption is a national concern, deserving of nation-wide action, this paper focuses on corruption in public resource management. Specifically, it trains its attention on corruption in local authorities. It argues that design defects and the dearth in corruption combatting and public integrity promoting mechanisms in local authorities has led to ad hoc and reactionary anti-corruption activities, which have been met by predictable failure as they are often inadequate, inappropriate, and politicised. This paper also posits that the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing is ill-suited to address corruption in local authorities because of its complicities in the corruption it ought to stem. This is especially so given that when the ministry has acted on corruption, this action has tended to be partisan and factional.
The above arguments are presented on the strength of Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association’s (BPRA’s) findings from research conducted between September 2016 and June 2017. The BPRA study assessed the nature and scope of corruption in local authorities in Zimbabwe, and through this paper proffers recommendations on non-partisan measures to stem corruption in local authorities, which are apt and adequate enough to escape the critique of being tentative, ad hoc, reactionary and inappropriate.
This paper illuminates the above arguments, findings and recommendations in the rest of the paper which is organised as follows: Post this first section it briefly highlights the historical and contemporary context of corruption in Zimbabwe. Thereafter, it shares conceptualisations of corruption, public integrity, and other relevant terms, outlining the different typologies of corruption, their different manifestations, and causes. The discussion then concretely shifts to the Zimbabwean context through analyses of the constitutional and legislative framework governing corruption and public integrity in Zimbabwe. This will be followed by an outline of the scope of corruption in Zimbabwean local authorities and its implications on service delivery and development, demonstrating the link between corruption and effectiveness of public resource management. The paper then discusses regional and international best practices for strengthening public integrity and combating corruption, and concludes with a nine point plan for strengthening integrity, transparency and accountability in local authorities in Zimbabwe as a means to combat corruption.
