Zimbabwean authorities are blaming corruption for the challenges the country is facing.
A cash crisis, severe load-shedding that lasts up to 18-hours a day, fuel and bread shortages are just among the many problems being faced by residents living in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweans are struggling under the conditions.
“I came here around 06:00 so it’s almost six hours and there’s still no bread, no water and no electricity. Electricity is only coming for to charge our phones because it’s coming at 10pm and by 4.am it’s gone.”
Officials claim the severity of the socio-economic problems is due to corruption.
Justice Loice Moyo of the Anti-Corruption Commission attributes the challenges to the rot in the state enterprises and the private sector.
“Corruption in Zimbabwe is quiet rampant in all sectors of our economy that is in government, state enterprises and parastatals, NGOs and private sector. I can confirm that the economic challenges being experienced in the country are mainly as a result of corruption. Once we join hands in fighting corruption, we will win and our economic challenges will disappear.”
The country’s Minister of Energry, Fortune Chasi, says they are working on cleaning out all the bad apples in the system. He says this will help restore the functioning of the parastatals.
“We want to create a fair environment that allows business people to make money without making the public suffer. So as I have indicated, we still have malpractices in the industry. I warned the industry that the hour will come when we talk about renewal of licenses, but if we need to do it earlier we will take the necessary action to protect the interests of everyone who uses fuel.”
Chasi, however, could not say when Zimbabweans can expect normalcy again in their country.
“I can’t give you a time and date because I am not in control of somebody, for example, who accesses foreign currency from our national system, buys fuel and decides that he is not going to play according to the rules. I can’t determine that, but this matter is urgent and we are applying all efforts make sure that we normalize the situation.”
For many in Zimbabwe, the food and fuel shortages are all too familiar.
In 2008, during a period of record breaking hyper-inflation, bread and petrol were scarce commodities.
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