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- Written by: Kelvin Mhlanga
- Category: Corruption News
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Zimbabwe’s Democracy Is Being Rewritten — And The People Are Being Written Out
Zimbabwe is not witnessing reform. It is witnessing consolidation.
The ruling party, ZANU-PF, is pushing constitutional changes that would extend presidential terms and potentially remove the people’s direct right to elect their president. These proposals are framed as structural adjustments. In reality, they strengthen executive power at a time when democratic safeguards should be reinforced. Extending presidential terms from five to seven years potentially keeping Emmerson Mnangagwa in office until 2030 weakens one of democracy’s core protections: term limits. Term limits exist to prevent power from becoming permanent. When leaders begin adjusting those limits while in office, it raises legitimate concerns about motive.
Even more alarming is the proposal to shift presidential elections from citizens to Parliament. In a legislature dominated by the ruling party, this would effectively remove millions of Zimbabweans from directly choosing their leader. A president selected by politicians instead of voters changes the very nature of accountability but constitutional amendments are only part of the concern. Critics and civil society groups have repeatedly raised questions about the independence of state institutions, particularly the judiciary. Allegations of political influence over judges and key administrative officials have persisted for years. While direct evidence is often difficult to access in a constrained environment, the perception alone damages public trust.
- When court decisions consistently align with ruling party interests in highly political cases, citizens begin to ask whether justice is truly independent or politically aligned.
- Democracy does not collapse overnight. It erodes gradually through legal amendments, institutional pressure, and the quiet weakening of oversight bodies.
- Speaking in Geneva, journalist and activist Blessed Mhlanga warned about this steady erosion of democratic space. His message was blunt: “When leaders begin to fear the ballot, they begin to change the rules.”
He added a sharper line that resonated with many in the diaspora: “A constitution must restrain power not protect it.”
Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution was meant to prevent the concentration of authority that defined earlier decades. It was designed as a reset a contract between the state and its citizens. If that contract is now being adjusted in ways that disproportionately benefit those already in power, then the issue is not technical reform. It is democratic regression. The implications stretch beyond Zimbabwe’s borders. Millions in the diaspora whose remittances sustain families and institutions back home remain politically marginalised. Their financial contributions are welcomed, but their political voice remains limited.
History shows that when ruling parties reshape constitutions while questions swirl around institutional independence, confidence in governance declines both domestically and internationally.
The question Zimbabwe now faces is simple:
Is the constitution being strengthened for future generations or reshaped for present leadership?
Because when institutions appear compromised, and when electoral power shifts away from the people, democracy stops being a system of accountability.
It becomes a system of control.
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- Written by: Directed by John Burke, Research by GROK 4
- Category: Corruption News
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Overview of Corruption in Zimbabwe
https://x.com/i/grok/share/ssVZOi5iYV2XiTxXhgXuFPoXQ
Zimbabwe continues to grapple with systemic corruption under President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration, which has exacerbated economic instability, eroded public trust, and hindered development. Despite promises of reform since the 2017 coup, issues like currency manipulation, elite patronage, infrastructure neglect, and electoral manipulation persist. International bodies such as the IMF and U.S. Treasury have highlighted these problems, with the latter imposing sanctions on Mnangagwa and associates in 2024 for corruption and human rights abuses tied to elections. Transparency International ranks Zimbabwe 149th out of 180 countries on its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, scoring 24/100, reflecting entrenched graft in public procurement, resource allocation, and political loyalty schemes. Below, I break down the specified areas based on verified reports from credible outlets.
ZiG Currency Crisis
The Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), introduced on April 8, 2024, as a gold-backed currency to replace the unstable Zimbabwean dollar, aimed to curb hyperinflation and dollarization. Backed by $900 million in reserves (including gold and foreign currencies), it initially faced a "crisis" marked by rapid depreciation, black-market premiums exceeding 50%, and public skepticism amid past currency failures. By mid-2025, however, the ZiG has shown deceptive stability: monthly inflation dropped to 0.3% in June 2025 from over 175% in early 2024, with transaction use rising from 26% to 40% of GDP. The IMF praised this in its October 2025 Article IV consultation, crediting tight monetary policy and gold export booms.
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- Written by: John Burke
- Category: Corruption News
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The international community has responded to Zimbabwe's human rights abuses through various measures and actions:
1. Sanctions and Targeted Measures: The European Union, United Kingdom, and United States have imposed targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations in Zimbabwe[3]. These sanctions aim to pressure the government to improve its human rights record.
2. Diplomatic Pressure: International bodies and governments have consistently called on Zimbabwe to address human rights concerns. For instance, in 2021, the EU, UK, and US called for investigations into the abduction and torture of opposition members[2].
3. UN Special Procedures: United Nations special rapporteurs have expressed concerns about Zimbabwe's human rights situation. In December 2021, four UN special rapporteurs jointly commented on the potential negative impacts of Zimbabwe's Private Voluntary Organizations Amendment Bill on civil and political rights[3].
4. Human Rights Monitoring: Various international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, regularly document and report on human rights abuses in Zimbabwe[2][3].
5. Calls for Reform: The international community has repeatedly urged Zimbabwe to implement political reforms, restore the rule of law, and respect fundamental freedoms[1][3].
6. Commonwealth Membership Considerations: Zimbabwe's potential return to the Commonwealth has been scrutinized due to its human rights record, with arguments that the country does not meet the required standards for readmission[4].
7. Advocacy for Investigations: There have been calls for swift, thorough, and credible investigations into specific incidents of human rights violations, such as the abduction and torture of opposition members[2].
8. Criticism of COVID-19 Response: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern about allegations that Zimbabwean authorities may be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to suppress freedoms[2].
Despite these responses, some international actors, such as the African Union chairperson and a UN special rapporteur, have called for the lifting of sanctions, claiming they negatively impact living conditions in Zimbabwe[3]. This highlights the complex and sometimes conflicting approaches within the international community in addressing Zimbabwe's human rights situation.
Citations:
- [1] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2009/10/council-hears-concerns-about-situation-zimbabwe-it-holds-related-debate
- [2] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/zimbabwe
- [3] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/zimbabwe
- [4] https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/the-commonwealth-zimbabwes-return/
- [5] https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AFR4672212023ENGLISH.pdf
- [6] https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/zimbabwe/
- [7] https://zw.usembassy.gov/2020-human-rights-report-zimbabwe/
- [8] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/zimbabwe-country-of-concern/zimbabwe-country-of-concern
NGOs play a crucial role in documenting and combating human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, despite facing significant challenges and repression from the government. Their key functions include:
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- Written by: @BhudhiGhivhi
- Category: Corruption News
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Nick M pontificating for political satire: From the deadly pen of @BhudhiGhivhi
Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana:
"And so in closing, allow me to end on a moment of frankness.
It has been a long journey.
From mopping the floors of the psych ward in Nottingham, to rising to the heights of permanent secretary of Information, is no easy feat.
It takes a ruthlessness and shamelessness that few possess.
I had to prove myself time and time again, that I was willing to do whatever it takes to sanitize the misdeeds of our great Party. That there was no depth to which I was not willing to stoop.
No matter how low.
It is a unique talent, for which I sometimes feel, honestly, that I don’t get enough credit.
There are many who say that I am unqualified for any type of high level Govt position and that I particularly have no background or skills in Media and Information.
And they are right.
But... I make up for my lack of knowledge and skill, with RUTHLESSNESS.
And that is the quality my party ZANU PF values most of all.
With this job comes the inevitable requirement to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. You have to have broad shoulders.
When one wakes up each morning to lie to an entire nation and whitewash atrocities, one will doubtlessly face colossal and widespread criticism from all quarters. You have to have the ability to shut out logic and consciousness, and focus on the job at hand.
That is where I excel.
I abandoned shame a long time ago. I found it serves no purpose.
When you are in the business of abducting activists, stealing elections and looting state resources, there is no room for shame, or empathy, or mercy.
The less you have of these traits, the bigger your bank account!
So it’s an easy choice.
And in line with this theme, I will close with the inspiring words of Shakespeare’s LADY MACBETH:
‘Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts.
Fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty.
Make thick my blood.
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious vistings of nature shake my fell purpose...
... Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.’
Thank you.🙇🏾♂️”
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- Written by: David Smith, Africa Correspondent
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WHO MISAPPROPRIATED OUR GOLD /DIAMOND REVENUE & PROFITS!
What’s the true story behind the Gold/Diamond Corruption? Zimbabwe regime accused of stealing $2bn in diamonds
Report claims that revenue from Marange fields has been channelled into 'parallel government' loyal to Robert Mugabe [2012] Miners dig for diamonds in the Marange fields, Zimbabwe
This article is more than 9 years old: Mon 12 Nov 2012 18.54 GMT
Diamonds worth at least $2bn (£1.26bn) have been stolen by the Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's ruling elite, international dealers and criminals, in "perhaps the biggest single plunder of diamonds the world has seen since Cecil Rhodes", a watchdog has claimed.
Revenue that could have revived the country's ailing economy has been channelled into a "parallel government" of police and military officers and government officials loyal to Mugabe, according to Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), a group campaigning against "blood diamonds". The Marange fields in eastern Zimbabwe were discovered in 2006 and are one of the world's biggest diamond deposits. But funds from diamond sales have not reached the state treasury, says a PAC report, published on Monday to coincide with a Zimbabwe government conference on the diamond trade in Victoria Falls. Instead there is evidence that millions have gone to Mugabe's inner circle.
"Marange's potential has been overshadowed by violence, smuggling, corruption and most of all, lost opportunity," says PAC.
"The scale of illegality is mind-blowing" and has spread to "compromise most of the diamond markets of the world."
The report, Reap What You Sow: Greed and Corruption in Zimbabwe's Marange Diamond Fields, [Available in Full - click the link] describes the $2bn lost to the Zimbabwean treasury since 2008 as a "conservative estimate".
Tendai Biti, the finance minister, [2012] said in his latest budget he had been promised $600m in diamond revenue for the national treasury to help rebuild neglected hospitals, schools and other public services. Only a quarter of that pledge has been received, he claims.
The PAC names Obert Mpofu, mines minister since 2009 and a key Mugabe ally, as perhaps the biggest winner. He has amassed an unexplained personal fortune and is linked to a "small and tight group of political and military elites who have been in charge of Marange from the very beginning" and who are personally benefiting from the diamond sales, the report alleges.
Mpofu spent more than $20m‚ "mostly in cash"‚ over the past three years, the report says, and owns vast swaths of land. "While Mpofu is not the only Zanu official benefiting from Marange's riches, his role as the chief guardian of Marange raises the most concern," the report says.
Mpofu insists that western economic sanctions [sic] have prevented the government from getting fair prices for the diamonds on the international market. He has repeatedly refused to give exact figures on diamond revenues, the PAC claims.
In 2010 leading industry insiders, including Filip van Laere, a Belgian diamond expert working for the Mugabe government, forecast the country could produce as much as 30m to 40m carats a year, worth about $2bn annually, the PAC report says.
The diamonds are being mined and sold but the funds are not reaching the Zimbabwean treasury, according to the report. Instead they are going to Mugabe's allies, a group of Zimbabwean military generals and foreigners in South Africa, China, Dubai, India and Israel.
Most of the revenue is lost through a lack of transparency in accounting for how many diamonds are mined, how much is earned from their sales, the underpricing of gems on world markets, smuggling and a "high level of collusion" by government officials.
Records show that 10m carats of Marange diamonds were exported to Dubai in late 2012 for $600m, which the report says is half the value it should have been. This "underscores a price manipulation scheme perpetrated by Indian buyers and their Zimbabwe allies, with whom they are believed to share the spoils," the report says.
PAC's researchers were also unable to trace a 2.5m carat stockpile, valued at around $200m, which mysteriously disappeared in November 2011. It charges that $300m in diamond sales never made it to the Zimbabwe treasury in 2011. The report also criticises the Kimberley Process for allowing the misuse of funds to happen. "Calls for greater transparency have been dismissed within the Kimberley Process," it says.
"The lack of transparency surrounding Zimbabwe's diamond revenue is a matter of critical public interest and amplifies concerns for some time that these revenues are funding a parallel government" of Mugabe loyalists, many known to be building private mansions and buying luxury cars costing far in excess of their income from tax-funded salaries, the report adds.
Analysts have warned that the diamond wealth could boost Mugabe's war chest for elections expected next year, giving it a huge advantage over prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.
Mugabe's Zanu-PF dismissed the report as politically motivated. Rugare Gumbo, a party spokesman, said: "Our view is that PAC is just there to destabilise the situation in southern Africa. The Kimberley Process monitor and other monitors have been here and say it's being done properly. What people don't understand is that we had to bring order to a process that was chaotic." He added: "PAC don't believe we should benefit from the resources of our country. The scapegoat always is President Mugabe because of the regime change agenda.
Mpofu told Voice of America: "I will not dignify those baseless accusations with a response. This is pure madness, rank madness really from a group that is sponsored by countries that do not want to see us benefiting from our diamonds.
"They can continue to talk but we will not look back. Zimbabwe's diamonds are the best and they are hurting that they are not mining in Marange, that's all. We are used to this. They release reports ahead of major conferences and Kimberley plenary sessions but we are not fazed at all