Poverty strikes, but not for everyone

Five cops have been caught after demanding a “free passage” bribe to let a truck proceed on a highway east of Harare city. They shared the $5 dollar bill.

This comes at a time police along with teachers, nurses and public officials in general are clamouring for pay increases to put food on the table, keep their children in school and pay for health care.

One USD, worth around 14 local bucks,  buys a single loaf of bread but hardly a cup of coffee, such is the inflationary spiral.

The official Anti-Corruption Commission, attempting to jack up its credibility, says it has referred scams involving more than US$135 million to the National Prosecuting Authority. It is a 46 percent increase in corruption cases reported to the NPA last year against the total number in 2022.

ZACC chair Michael Reza attributes this to “heightened public awareness” to the scourge of corruption and increased confidence in the commission’s anti-graft initiatives. Two thirds of cases heard in the courts have led to convictions and the forfeiture of ”ill-gotten gains.”

Mostly small fry. It remains to be seen how many heads of  ruling party big fish will roll after the economy has lost billions this decade in illicit deals on gold, diamonds,  mining contracts and shady government tenders for projects that were never completed.

What is officially on the public record now can be termed the tip of the iceberg in sub-tropical Zimbabwe.

Our quirky state-controlled H-Metro tabloid has also reported on the goatification of the countryside that wasn’t to happen. Two prominent businessmen allegedly defrauded the government of USD$7 million in a deal to provide 500,000 goats to rural communities as part of a Presidential assistance scheme meant to “alleviate poverty among less privileged households across the country.”

One of the men with political connections took a theatrical tumble when climbing out the prison truck taking accused to court. Social media quickly went viral with the fact he was not in handcuffs and leg irons as arrested political opposition leaders typically are, but they don’t fall over.

Before that, there was the $5 million down payment for a solar park in the sunny southwest that didn’t get built.

Our state newspapers do have a code of  ethics that demand fair and balanced  reporting  without “any commercial, personal or political interests” but with an escape clause at the end: that the country has unique societies and values that must be recognised. In doing so, presumably, bias in favour of some elites is allowed.

Other stories in the tabloid. No mention of more senior shenanigans:

Man wants US$20 maintenance for his kid reduced.

Man rapes woman who sought to commit suicide. (He evidently found her in the bush trying to drink rat poison after learning she was HIV positive. The only protection he wore was a balaclava face mask. He got away with her bank cards, cellphone and USD$7 in cash.)

Bloody week amid stabbing rampage in Kadoma. (Three dead, one after a row during a game of pool.)

Zimbabwe is to chair a summit of the regional 16-nation Southern Africa Development Community  starting on Aug. 17

Main roads and streets are being blocked for repairs after years of neglect to ensure that visiting presidents “will arrive with lots of things functioning, good roads, traffic lights, more street lights and also a beautiful ambience to look at,” in the words of one official.

There will be luxury accommodation and delegates will  be encouraged to stay on and meet ordinary citizens who usually only see them briefly at a distance or on TV, the officials say.

There will be great relief when it’s all over and mammoth traffic jams caused already  finally disappear. Only the visitors will enjoy this “beautiful ambience” before things return to dismal normal.