via Corrupt youths buy drivers’ licences, exam passes 1 October 2014 by Veneranda Langa
YOUTH in Zimbabwe are involved in corruption activities to the extent some have to pay bribes to pass examinations, get drivers’ licences and even get promotion at work.
A Transparency International Zimbabwe (TI-Z) Youth and Corruption Baseline Survey (2014) revealed from a sample of 750 respondents from different provinces in the country 45% of youths knew about corruption in Zimbabwe, 35% said they did not know about it, while 20% said they did not want to talk about it as they felt intimidated and were afraid.
TI-Z researcher Farai Mutondoro said at higher institutions of learning, youths who were interviewed for the baseline survey revealed there was so much corrupt activities in order to pass exams to the extent male students resorted to paying bribes, while females were sexually exploited.
“Some of the students interviewed said there were degrees which they termed ‘STDs’ (sexually transmitted degrees) because some unscrupulous lecturers sexually manipulated girls to make them to pass even if they were academically challenged,” Mutondoro said.
“About 25% of the respondents defined corruption as abuse of power for gain, 15% said corruption were illegal transactions, 30% said it was bribery, while 20% said they had no answers.”
Mutondoro said those who said they had no answers were indicative of the fear people had to expose corrupt individuals.
He said those who described it as bribery proved corruption was pervasively institutionalised to the extent people had to pay bribes to get services from institutions like the passport offices, police, tertiary institutions and schools, Vehicle Inspection Department and others.
Corruption among the youths is said to have resulted in leakages of examination papers, sexual exploitation, electoral corruption, road traffic corruption and use of poor youths to commit political violence for a few dollars.
TI-Z projects officer Frank Mpahlo said due to corruption, the economy failed to perform to the extent that young people were forced to join the informal economy where they also ended up being exploited.
But Sydney Chisi, director for the Youth Initiative for Democracy in Zimbabwe, said in the informal economy, they found it difficult to make breakthroughs because powerful people were also operating there.
“One finds big chefs own stands at Mupedzanhamo and people like former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono doing chicken projects and how do we then expect the youths to get space to participate?” Chisi queried.
He said youths should begin to participate in policy formulation as well as input into legislative processes in order to protect themselves from being marginalised.
COMMENTS
Corruption in Zim is no longer news. If zanu pf excelled in anything it was in breeding corruption. Even Mugabe takes pleasure in boasting about how corrupt his government is – not to mention himself & his family of course. It is always true that a fish rots from the head. So, no doubt, the king or father of corruption is Chatunga himself. Check how many farms he has got, yet he shouts loudly about ‘one-man one-farm’. Check how shameless he was when he awarded his academically challenged wife a PhD – knowing fully well that even a kindergarten school child in Zim is fuully aware of DisGrace’s mental deficiency to the extent that she is incapable of passing a proper JC exam in Zim. So, if the 1st family is in the fore-front of corruption how can anyone else not follow suit?
Yeah, how can the youth and everyone else inbetween be not involved in corruption when even the ‘government’ itself admits that it is clueless about dealing with it? If we was in China…. Well … we all know how the Chinese deal with corrupt Office bearers.
Since 1980 zpf have been brilliant teachers of the ” art ” of corruption. They have managed to instill this evil wicked zanoid trait/hobby into the mugabeland d.n.a. viva mob justice. Pasi ray kaukonde the gay gangsta
Mapfumo sang aboutt corruption those many years ago. I don’t think even he knew how endemic the problem would become in later years.
The only people who do not know about its existence or have not been touched by it in Zimbabwe are those living under a rock or the liars and denialists created by ZPF.
ZPF started corruption way back with those claims of disability…remember 100% disability claims by Hunzvi and Mujuru?
Remember the defunct ministry of housing?? (cant remember full name) Grace -Less cut her baby corruption teeth by defrauding that ministry. Zanu-Pf came from the bush armed with corruption.
ZPF have set the precedent for corruption. They are guilty of setting an horrendous example for our youth: not that that exonerates the behaviour of these dishonest young people. ZPF and ALL politicians are going to be held responsible for teaching our youths abominable practices. They have been taught prejudice, hatred, covetousness, that it is ok to kill, maim and torture, racialism, tribalism, and that it is ok to steal and take what you have NOT worked for and do not own. judgment will come to our so called elders who have been so irresponsible.
greedy, corruption,low pay , politics,these officers know people in higher offices who are even worse corrupt and nothing happens to them, where on earth have you heard a minister of local goverment ordering councils to write off residents bills debts so to win elections,and the president says nothing about it ,i say president because,he was president, before being a zanu presidential candidate,the youths are not corrupt ,the whole system is corrupt i single out chombo as the worst of them all