ZIMBABWE STANDS ON THE EDGE AS CORRUPTION AND SHAME GROW

Zimbabwe is falling apart in front of us, and everyone can see it. Our councils are breaking down. Our services are dying. And now even the world is looking at us with shame. This is what ZANU PF has done to our country, and ordinary people are the ones who feel the pain every single day.

The Auditor-General’s 2024 report showed how bad things are in our councils. The report found 1 042 problems in 92 councils. This is not a small mistake. It is a clear sign that the whole system is broken. Every year the same problems are written down, but nothing changes. People still live with dry taps, rubbish everywhere, and clinics that are never finished. Leaders act like they do not care.

Inside the councils, workers see the truth first. They see money being stolen and projects being faked. But they stay quiet because they are scared. Zimbabwe has no strong law to protect people who speak out. If someone talks, they can lose their job, or even face danger. So people stay silent, and corruption grows like a disease.

More than half of the councils failed to send their financial reports on time. Out of 92 councils, 52 did not submit their accounts by March 2024. Some did not submit anything for three years. That means billions of dollars moved with no one checking. Residents did not know how their money was used. In a country with proper laws, someone inside would warn the public. But in Zimbabwe, silence wins and the abuse continues.

The devolution programme was supposed to help people. Instead, it became another way to steal. Ruwa got ZWL 1.2 billion for water, but the project stopped and people still queue at boreholes. Buhera was paid to drill boreholes, but many were left unfinished. Gokwe South paid contractors for roads that were never built. Chegutu bought a refuse truck, and the truck simply vanished before people even saw it. These things are not mistakes. They are planned failures that hurt the poor every day.

The report also showed missing cars, missing fuel and missing documents. Bulawayo could not account for 11 vehicles. Marondera sold land without any valuation, and some of the buyers were councillors. Zvishavane could not find important title deeds. In many rural councils, workers used fuel and vehicles for their own personal trips. There is no respect for public property.

While Zimbabwe is falling apart at home, the world is noticing. A new report from the United States says President Donald Trump might block Zimbabwe from entering the US for a major United Nations meeting in New York. Other countries on the list include Iran and Sudan. This is a huge embarrassment. It shows how far Zimbabwe has fallen under ZANU PF.

This is not only about Trump. It is about how the world now sees Zimbabwe. When a country abuses human rights, steals elections, breaks its own systems and ignores the suffering of its people, the world reacts. Zimbabwe used to be respected. Now we are being grouped with countries that have deep crises. This is what bad leadership does.

The people who suffer the most are ordinary Zimbabweans. They did not steal money. They did not destroy councils. But they are the ones who drink dirty water, walk past rubbish and live in fear of being ignored by the world.

Zimbabwe does not need another report to prove that corruption is destroying us. The truth is already clear. What we need now is courage. We need leaders who care. We need laws that protect people who speak out. We need citizens who refuse to be silent. Until that day comes, the country will continue to fall, and our name will continue to be dragged through the mud.