Zimbabwe slips further on corruption rankings

ZIMBABWE has dropped three places on Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released this week, in a clear sign that the southern African country is struggling to deal with corruption.
The index draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, giving each a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Zimbabwe dropped to number 160 on the latest index, from 157 the previous year, although the country’s score stagnated at 22.
Zimbabwe’s ranking represents a slippage, as it is now only better than 20 other countries compared to 23 the previous year.
Transparency International said high-profile scandals associated with corruption, misuse of public funds or unethical behaviour by politicians in recent years have contributed to public discontent and mistrust of the political system.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who promised to deal with high level graft when he assumed power in in November 2017, has failed to deliver on the promise.
“The 2018 CPI reveals that the continued failure of most countries to significantly control corruption is contributing to a crisis of democracy around the world,” Transparency International said in a comment on the results.
Zimbabwe reached an all-time low ranking of 166 in 2008 and a record high of 43 in 1998. The country’s average score between 1998 and 2018 was 24,95.
“With many democratic institutions under threat across the globe – often by leaders with authoritarian or populist tendencies – we need to do more to strengthen checks and balances and protect citizens’ rights,” said Patricia Moreira, managing director of Transparency International.
“Corruption chips away at democracy to produce a vicious cycle, where corruption undermines democratic institutions and, in turn, weak institutions are less able to control corruption,” she added.
Over the years, the Zimbabwe government has been blamed for glaringly ignoring adverse reports by the country’s’ auditor general on abuse of public funds.
In previous reports, the auditor general has untethered massive abuses of funds in different ministries through the disregard of tender procedures and other delinquencies, but not much seems to have been done to bring the perpetrators to book.
More than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, with an average score of only 43. Since 2012, only 20 countries have significantly improved their scores, these include Estonia and Côte D’Ivoire. Meanwhile, 16 countries have significantly declined.
Denmark and New Zealand top the Index with 88 and 87 points, respectively. Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria are at the bottom of the index, with 10, 13 and 13 points respectively. The highest scoring region is Western Europe and the European Union, with an average score of 66, while the lowest scoring regions are Sub-Saharan Africa with an average score of 32, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia with an average score of 35.
Transparency International says cross analysis with global democracy data reveals a link between corruption and the health of democracies.
“Full democracies score an average of 75 on the CPI, flawed democracies score an average of 49, hybrid regimes – which show elements of autocratic tendencies – score an average of 35, while autocratic regimes perform worst, with an average score of just 30 on the CPI,” the watchdog said.
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