BY RICHARD MUPONDE
ZIMBABWE remains among the most highly corrupt countries in the world, ranked at 157 out of 180 countries in the 2020 Transparency International Index.
The latest rankings by the anti-graft watchdog which were released on Thursday measure perceptions of corruption in public institutions, Zimbabwe’s score static at just 24 out of 100.
The score was way below the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 32. The survey focused on the management of funds donated towards the global pandemic, COVID-19.
“Across the region, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights structural gaps in national healthcare systems, corruption risk associated with public procurement, and the misappropriation of emergency funds,” TI said.
“The economic shock of the pandemic led to protests and dissent in many countries, including South Africa, 44, Angola, 27, and Zimbabwe, 24, about rising cost of living, corruption and the widespread misuse of emergency funds.”
Denmark and New Zealand topped the global rankings as the cleanest countries and in southern Africa, Seychelles maintained its position as the most graft-free country in the region, with a score of 66, followed by Botswana, 60, and Cape Verde, 58. Sudan, 16, Somalia, 12, and South Sudan, 12 anchored the regional index.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa sacked his Health minister, Obadiah Moyo after he was implicated in a US$60 million COVID-19 tender scam that involved Drax International fronted in the country by Delish Nguwaya, a friend to the First Family.
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Drax International received a US$2 million pay out in public funds from government through a bank account in Hungary, two weeks after its registration.
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