HARARE - Unfolding scandals at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Premier Service Medical Aid Society (Psmas) and Air Zimbabwe point to deep-seated opacity that has provided a fertile breeding ground for unbridled corruption.
Even more frightening, these deepening and shocking scandals also reflect a poor public accounting system, and the complicity of central government officials whose duty it is to superintend various parastatals where corruption has been allowed to run riot.
One of the major reasons why corruption has reached alarming levels is the appointment of parastatal heads for reasons other than merit.
The situation is even worse when it comes to board of directors for most State enterprises.
Most of these boards that are supposed to provide critical oversight, are stuffed with people whose only qualification in the majority of cases is a party card for the ruling party.
Given an appointment system of parastatal personnel that is largely based on patronage, it is not surprising that accountability has totally disappeared.
Board members look aside while parastatal bosses fatten their wallets because they also benefit from the rot.
To make matters worse, a number of government ministers and permanent secretaries who appoint parastatal bosses and boards are increasingly getting mired in the graft they are supposed to prevent.
These corruptible ministers are comically feigning ignorance as scandals erupt without let-up in parastatals.
If indeed government ministers and permanent secretaries are totally unaware of the pervasive rot in their ministries, then the most honourable thing for them to do is resign.
Zimbabwe, with an economy tottering on the brink of collapse, cannot afford to perpetuate lack of accountability any more.
For us to create an environment that fosters economic growth that we badly need, all arms of government must earnestly subscribe to zero tolerance on corruption.
To begin with, we want our legislators, particularly the various parliamentary portforlio committees, to earn their stripes by vigorously exercising oversight on government ministers, the various government departments and state enterprises.
The scandals that have of late become fodder for newspapers are a clear sign that the checks and balances that are supposed to make our democracy tick have all gone down the drain, sadly under our watch.