By F.Chalabesa
So much has been said about the fight of corruption in Zambia, this has been part of every party’s manifesto. So then, what is corruption? Who is involved? Does the common man understand the terminology?
Corruption is defined as dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. Bribery is to give or promise a person something to influence that person’s view or conduct. Studies have revealed three types of corruption:
- Cultural
- Psychological
- System related
Most if not all African countries are corrupt, reason we are still called developing nations. The least corrupt is Botswana; I will not mention the most corrupt. As at 2007, corruption in Zambia was between 15 -20%, but I believe the figures has risen now. The type of corruption in Zambia is cultural and system related.
Cultural corruption is where the country has failed to follow the rule of law and system related is where the government is set to behave that way and people’s minds are tuned the same way.
So then, how does corruption affect the nation’s ability to develop? I will bring up the corrupt practices that are happening in Zambia which have led to no development.
Bribing people to win votes
So much has been said about this issue, people in almost every constituency are bribed before elections. We have heard of brown envelopes been distributed to cadres during campaigns, hard cash, food and drinks.These actions are aimed at buying a vote. This is taking advantage of the less privileged and denying them the right to vote freely.
Giving false information in order to win people’s support
During campaigns, aspiring leaders give false information to people. They promise them of things they fail to give them after elections. This has been the tradition in the Zambian politics, once voted for, the leaders become part of the rich while the poor Zambians remain cut off. The president will invite rich people to dine with him at state house while the poor who are the majority voters remain poor if not poorer. While the word ‘poor’ is used worldwide, it is more pronounced in the developing world.
Exerting undue influence on the voters including threats, physical injury or spiritual harm
We see this happening all the time among party supporters. There has been blood shed among cadres due to violence because they have been taught it has to be like that for them to get a cent. They have to fight for food and drink. These are necessities every person should be entitled to.
People become above the law
I will leave this to the readers; let’s ask ourselves about what we have seen with the verdicts that are passed in Zambia. Are we satisfied with them? Do we see justice? Do they create precedence?
Zambians themselves have also become corrupt, this is about every citizen who at one time got involved in any of the following scenarios:
- “Once I was so stranded, I needed to get a relative into college but for some reasons I could not follow the normal pathway. I got hold of one of the staff members and paid him money, within a short time my relative was accepted into college.” That money did not reach school office and so it did not go towards the development of the school and the nation at all.
- “I knew I had done something wrong, the police were on me. I had to do something so they would let me go, quickly I gave them some money and they let me go.” The money did not reach the police offices. This happens a lot of times with motorists who commit offences they get away with, such that we have ended up with cars that aren’t in road worthy conditions and unlicensed drivers putting the public at risk.
- “So called am dealu, that person works at the company; he takes out stuff and sells it to me at a reasonable price. I can talk to him for you.” The person being talked about is ripping the company apart, when the company collapses and shuts down, he will be jobless.
Corruption brings up dishonesty in a nation and this mostly is in financial matters. For every nation to survive, it needs money. A good financial status is a pillar for any nation. The government is funded by the tax payers, grants, aids and borrowings from other nations. It’s the same money that goes round the country that keeps the nation going i.e. from the government to the people and back to the government through taxes. In any money matters, honesty is required and it is important that whoever is dealing with money is honest with each and every transaction especially if it belongs to a big group of people. This is because once there is a leak somewhere in the cycle, then an imbalance occurs and this can be a source of problems for everybody. Good management of finances in the country leads to a balance in every situation. Fairness in the distribution of funds leads to equality among citizens and positive thinking towards development.
How does dishonesty in financial matters affect development?
The gap between the rich and the poor lengthens; this is because the rich develop an affinity for money. They tend to forget about the poor, unfortunately and mostly these rich people are the ones responsible for running the country’s economy. Less or no consideration of the poor is done when deciding on the country’s economy i.e. budget, prices etc. If they can afford it then that’s it. These people will shun the services in the country; they will send their children to private schools, or to schools abroad. They will seek medical advice outside the country and they will do their shopping (clothes) from outside the country. With the above behaviour little or no attention will be paid to improve the services they will never access or to improve the working conditions of workers in these areas.[pullquote]Do we need an expert to come in and think for us? [/pullquote]
The affected workers who get meagre salaries will usually come up with ideas to make ends meet. To start with, they know for sure that their wages won’t see them through the month. Having to work with that in mind will affect their attitude, I am sure we have all come across grumpy ones in their areas of work or people that do not want to do their work properly. Some workers will engage in unlawful dealings to try and get money to see them through the month.
Examples will be leakages before exams, illegal transport, illegal trading etc. In the end another citizen suffers, because they will end up paying for services that should be freely accessible to all. Some practices by these frustrated workers can be disastrous especially if they are health personnel.
Some workers have to go through the frustrations of having to work knowing they will have nothing to offer their customers, medical personnel with no drugs or equipment will have no morale at all.
In the hope of getting money some citizens will try and make imitations for sale (goonga), pirating, street vending, others will be involved in prostitution and theft. In all these activities it will be innocent citizens that will suffer as the rich will never buy imitations or pirated CDs, they have tight security and no one will steal from them. They have expensive cars and they will never be driven by a driver without a drivers’ licence and they own bore holes with reserve tanks at their residence.
Dishonesty in financial matters has also created imbalances in the country’s economic status. I read the paper and what I see is ‘Zambia has been hit by a critical shortage of workers in a certain sector’ and then later another heading will say ‘Zambia’s unemployment levels are rising’. Isn’t there something the nation can do to marry the two? Do we need an expert to come in and think for us? Another heading will read ‘Lack of oxygen or water in hospitals leads to……………..’ another heading will say billions of kwacha were stolen by one person’ confusing! If such amounts of money could leave the government account unnoticed until later, honestly Zambia should be capable of supplying hospitals with water and oxygen and other government institutions with necessities.
:)
I feel for the poor boy.
Good piece of info,absolutely True
yeah, you are right..but now we have to find you and arrest you for corruption, since you have confessed of corrupting someone.
Well written document and perfect picture.I wonder if politician see all this.you are in government for 9 months Roads are still looking pathetic.Zambians are looking for practical ideas that will transform our Nation.I wonder what the council are saying about those pot Holes. By the way when was this picture Taken.After or Before Elections.
If mmembe nchito and the group had paid the 18billion Sata would have been seen to fighting corruption.for the article very well articurated we need more of such even in the print media.
We just have to wait for Jesus to come.
Putrefying with wounds of corruption. PF is just shit from head to ass
Language from UK! In UK contacts are easily traceable, by mobile, by laptop, by desktop they all subcsribe to internet providers and with good intelligence work foul language can be traced to source. Just discuss ideas and the way forward, as sympathiser of opposition or that of the ruling party. You know, hear and read how UK politics are done. Cant you teach your country people how best they can do politics without insults? I keep wondering.
Go to ZWD, you are too immature for this forum…
This is happening all over Africa.. Life began in Africa but has been left behind by the west….I wonder if Zambia would have been a better country if the colonialist were still in charge?? I think so..That’s why most who have left don’t want to come back the photos speak for them selves.. Those in power are useless and greedy…Regardless of which party…
Its not all over Africa, Botswana is far better off, why? maybe becoz its not a multitribal country
Botswana is a multi tribal country. There are Tswana, Kalanga, kgalagadi, Okavango (lozi speaking subiya, bakuba, totela tribes) , basarwa , ndebeles etc. Khamas and masire were presidents from the Tswana tribe while Festus mogae was from the kalanga. The current finance minister of Botswana Mr Moyo is a ndebele. Setswana is the only African language that is regarded as an official language together with English. However this doesn’t mean that batswana are the only tribe in Botswana.
@Livingstone, well articulated brother. And that’s the kind of realistic sense we need to emulate as Zambians even though Ian Khama is a former general. But truth be told, he has a good heart for his country, something I believe that was past own by the founding father, his father Sir Seretse Khama. Keep up the good work brother and thanx for the lesson on botswana’s tribes.
Sick and tired of reading this for forty years now. Bottom line , STEALING.If police officers steal, what more is there to say.Complete breakdown of Governance. No way u r capable of rulling, Bring in the former rullers.
Do we need a completely new crop of political leadership that has never ruled with UNIP, MMD & PF?
If so, the time is now to get a political movement which will be ready to contest the elections for the governance of the nation in 2016.
Can the current government get us on the way out of the mess we are in? Then the PF should prove to us in tangible ways than mere rhetoric.
For starters, don’t ask us to tighten our belts, we have done that for many years, from the days of UNIP. We have reached breaking point.
As for the PF government, they cannot procrastinate any further. They have to run with development. No more cosmetic touches here and there to just appease those who cannot see far enough.
Greed has eaten our economy.
In Africa it has always been like that. It is like that. It will always be like that.
Sorry other African countries are doing it better, e.g Botswana and Angola now. What is wrong with Zambia? Dont comfort yourself that its all African countries. You can enjoy Canada, but you are a Zambia sh*t, judging you from your country
nombaninshi
Terrible article too theoretical by someone with clearly very limited IQ
Thanks
Lets have MAUREEN MAWANAWASA for President and all this nonsense will go!!
What grass are you smoking????
Nicely written but the author needs to do more research
Building Malls and KFC is not development
For once I agree with you, maybe they will accept you at MIT now!!
A discourse that hasn’t shed any new light nor provided solutions! Started very well by identifying factors that influence corruption. CULTURAL – in Africa chiefdoms have ruled since time immemorial – everyone subserved the chief/king & these rulers if you were lucky elevated your status- we basically have maintained the status quo!! In the West, they have had uprisings leading to challenging of these rulers & getting them in check – hence Royal family doesn’t rule UK nor do they rule the USA. ORDINARY PEOPLE Challenged these powers & stripped them of the same & THIS RESULTED IN DEMOCRACY!! In zed, 1991 is the year welearnt we could challenge & yes we did, BUT the people we entrusted to lead us have abused us – we helplessly believe we have to wait for 5yrs to elapse to change…
..Govts, however, this is not the case – we just HAVE TO CURTAIL FAILING GOVTS USING THE SAME CONSTITUTION! We just have to be brave enough just as we were in 1991. The bpoor end up being corrupted becoz it is away to survive – a very tough choice be coz they sacrifice the little they have. THE RICH HAVE ENSURED THAT EDUCATION HAS BEEN TRASHED so that they can have a strangle-hold on the poor! Luckily, the electorate last time around REALISED, THEY COULD STILL ACCEPT PRE-ELECTION BRIBES & STILL VOTE THE OTHER WAY! The best thing that ever happened!! If this GOVT thinks THAT WAS A GIMMICK THAT WILL SOON BE FORGOTTEN, they’re in for a shock! THE EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGHER THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN! Unfortunately, we have ministers thinking the national TREASURY is akin to their mother’s..
..purse!! THE MENTALITY UNFORTUNATELY REMAINS TO THAT OBTAINED IN 1991 – THAT IT IS THEIR TURN TO GET RICH!! WHAT WE NEED AS A COUNTRY, is to have individuals SNITCHING ON THIS GOVT, FOR AS LONG AS they remain cavalier like Sakeni telling us not to worry about our money that he is dishing out on “Chikopo”(i.e. an empty tin!!), GBM asking civil servants : “bushe ndalama sha ba noko??”; Ministers IGNORANT about whom they have deported; A gang TRYING TO GET AWAY WITH K18Bn of our money – we should not relent, LEAK THAT INFORMATION – WE WILL FIND GROUNDS TO IMPEACH THEM – FOR IT WILL BE CHEAPER TO HAVE FRESH ROUND OF ELECTIONS THAN WAIT FOR 2016 whilst they mess with the country with IMPUNITY!!!
LAST NIGHT I WENT TO CHALALA AND I WITNESSED FIVE DRUNK DRIVING ACCIDENTS AND I WAS ALSO ALMOST HIT BY ANOTHER CAR FROM 20 HOURS TO 23 HOURS. THIS WAS IN 3 HOURS!
RTSA AND ZP SHOULD TAKE THE BLAME. THE CORRUPTION FEE INVOLVED WHEN YOU DONT NEED TO BE CHARGED IS ENOUGH FOR AN OFFICER TO BUY A 40 INCH PLASMA.
THIS IS THE REASON WHY RTSA AND ZP ARE NOT INTERESTED IN PUTTING IN PLACE PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. WHILE WE CONTINUE TO LOSE LOVED ONES, RTSA, ZP AND THEIR BOSSES, ARE EATING WELL. WHAT A COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the must involved the police on the road. because zambian driving and drinking its like a game.were you police, what are doing pls.
As CITIZENS WE SHOULD DEMAND OFFICIAL RECEIPTS!! But then again, no one wants to have a police record! However, times have changed, we all now own mobile phones with video capability – use them, switch them on & record covertly, try to make sure you have captured their faces (undercover!) You can even pay the bribe, YOUR DEFENSE IN COURT WILL BE GATHERING EVIDENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST!! Once Police & RTSA realise they can’t get away with it, a lot will change, as they will only book you for a LIMITED gazetted FINE! We shouldn’t just standby & let people get away with it!!
Easiest covert way of recording is to pretend you are making aphone call, then talk & walk turning around as you do so or pretend to be retrieving some info from the phone – IT IS NO CRIME TO USE YOUR PHONE IN PRESENCE OF THE said officers!! DO NOT BE VICTIMISED!!!!
WELL WRITTEN………….. SIMPLE AND STRIAGHT FORWARD FOR EVEN THE LEAST KNOWLEDGEABLE TO UNDERSTAND.
Zambia,a sub 4th world nation.Hii nchi ya zambia iko nyuma sana na ni chafu zaidi,elevi mwingi na viongozi wake wana masomo ya chini sana kwamba hawajui wanachokifanya.Beyond salvation is what zambia is.
@Livingstone correction. Khamas, Masire and Mogae were all Tswanas from the ‘Bakgatla’ clan. No Kalanga has ever been President. The Finance Minister is Matambo and is Tswana. Twanas compose 85% of the population & Kalanga is abt 7% the rest are too small hence Tswana domination in language & politics. Corruption is on the rise due to falling incomes esp police & immigration. On the whole, they hav better governance than Zambia
Sorry from ‘Bangwato’ clan not ‘Bakgatla’.
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Please people of God surely you can’t see that we are go round in circles; PF constitution, PF fails to challenge ‘family forest’ details, order police to silence citizens, police harassing William Banda, pay rise at midnight, fight of corruption in Zambia, minimum wages for domestic and shop attendants, nepotism, tribalism, Barotseland, HH detention, dismissal of Mr. & Mrs. Hamasaka, fuel donation to Malawi, tribunal appointed to probe three Judges, deportation of Rwandan Catholic priest, striking workers, agro-output confusion, killing of poor salary paying Chinese miner, Henry Banda, Dora Siliya,HH was telling lies that PF govt increased salaries by 100% when actually it was increase by more than 100%, MMD scandals
So where are developmental stories?
is’nt nepotism corruption..?under the pf its the norm of the day..
SYSTEM CORRUPTION OR INSTITUTIONALIZED CORRUPTION.FIRST CORRUPTION IN A POLITICAL PARTY, WHERE THE ELITE OF SOCIETY ORGANIZE THEMSELVES TO CHEAT THE MASSED THAT THEY WILL SERVANTS ONCE IN POWER.THEY THEY ELITE OUR ENTRUSTED WITH POWER IN GOVERNMENT AND BECOME MASTERS.ONCE IN GRZ,THE INSTITUTIONALIZED CORRUPTION IS LEGALIZED.WELL ORGANIZED THEFT IS DONE.IT IS NOW”” I CHOP , YOU CHOP PALAVA FINISH.””HOW POSSIBLE IS IT THAT ONE INSTITUTION LIKE THE POST HAVE MOST OF ITS FORMER EMPLOYEES GET THE LIONS SHARES IN PRESS POSITIONS ALL ALMOST ALL ZAMBIAN EMBASSIES .? WE ARE A CORRUPT SYSTEM THAT EAT UP 60% OF THE POOR””S RESOURCES.THE ELITE OF SOCIETY MUST GIVE UP THIS CORRUPTION.I DON’T BELIEVE THAT HARD WORKERS COME FROM ONE ARE OF ZAMBIA.
Africa won’t change. It’s been underdeveloped for hundreds of years and will continue to be underdeveloped. Always blaming “others” for their own problems. I’m positive this continent will hopeless for at least another 300 to 400 years.
Ni sebana wikute,Nobuchenjeshi bwa nkoko pungwa tasakamana.
You know, poverty reduction starts with family set up. Go to public drinking places, you will find them full of people complaining of poor salaries drunk but where they get money to waste you never understand. You find people by as early as 07 hours in the morning are drunk then when are they going to be productive? Lets change our attitudes and become productive, then we will be able to fight poverty. I am not disputing the issue of corruption but, develpment starts with individuals. some of those getting drunk unneccessarily have got family members who have the potential to do well in life but dont have no financial support. Think about!
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