# Introduction ust ask yourself or your neighbor: What is corruption and what is its adverse effect on business in Zimbabwe? Here is the answer to this searching question. Although the electoral reforms before the watershed July 31 2013 harmonized elections were too piecemeal to excite the Author of this Paper, the good news about the law enforcement agents (The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) finally voting without the intimidating 'Big Brother' attentively watching proceedings will certainly go down in the turbulent political history of Zimbabwe as the most landmark milestone in the voting history of the people of Zimbabwe. The Author not used to hearing that from the openly partisan ZRP was shell shocked and could not believe what he for the first ever time heard the other day when he overheard some overambitious policemen openly discussing the then forthcoming harmonized elections expressing their desire to vote for 'Change'. One of them described how in earlier elections he had been forced against his choice to place an 'X' for a candidate that he did not like. "I spent the whole day in a state of despair. How can you vote freely and fairly when your superior is watching? Just look at our state of affairs. We have old uniforms, no vehicles to go on patrols and just look at our shoes. The rubber heels are terribly warn out. Why should we continue to suffer at the hands of Author: Great Zimbabwe University. e-mail: srusvingo@yahoo.com the few at the top who are earning lots of money with various pecks such as free use of government vehicles during and after working hours?' asked one of the cops who looked very worried in deed. Their open discussion was about the then 'do or die' crunch elections of 31 July 2013, which to the amusement of the Author was open, frank and factual. What was particularly fascinating about the eavesdropped discussion was that it was coming from two disgruntled members of the police force and in the build up to a poll billed as watershed and life changing in the sense that the much hyped election had the capability to slam the door shut to a 'dark past of 33 years' of ZANU PF 1 misrule and throw open the doors to a bright future of a government minus the errant ZANU PF. Having painstakingly said all this searching the question to ask is; What is the moral of this fascinating story about these two disgruntled members of the police force? The paragraph below has more graphic details citing corruption as taking centre stage in the country's elections which are supposed to be free, fair and credible as per SADC 2 II. The Moral of the 'Police Will Finally Vote Without the big Brother Watching' Story principles and guidelines on democratic elections in member states (Dube, 2013). The moral derived from the above fascinating story are as below explained; -The 'Big Brother' watching while a hapless policeman was exercising inalienable right to vote in 1 ZANU PF is an acronym for Zimbabwe African National Union -Patriotic front. The ex-liberation movement party has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980 and continues to rule over us to date vowing the "pen" will never remove ZANU PF from power. And the "pen" in this instance is an election which is deemed by ZANU PF to be a non-starter to remove it from power whatever that means. 2 SADC is an acronym for Southern African Development Community. Its mission statement is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient productive systems, deeper cooperation, good governance and durable peace and security; so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy. In order to fulfil this mission member states are guided by the principles and guidelines as stated in Article 4 of the SADC Treaty (Moyo, 2014) secrecy was actually helping a shadowy political party (ZANU PF) to brazenly steal the watershed election in favour of ZANU PF and in broad daylight. This is corruption at its worst. -Who does not know that Zimbabwe independence in 1980 brought new evils in the train? That some of the things that have been resorted to in post colonial Zimbabwe could make Apartheid 3 -The offence committed by 'Big brother' is both criminal and civil under the laws of Zimbabwe. South Africa blush and media extortionists feel like rank amateurs? (Pasipamire, 2014). -Considering the livelihoods of millions of Zimbabweans adversely affected by the misguided and diabolical actions of 'Big Brother' the Author's proposed sentence for his wrong doing is three life terms plus 70 years in prison with hard labour. -The crime committed against the state and the said two disgruntled cops are classified as below; (a) Criminal and civil corruption (b) Bad business ethics and (c) Gross human rights violations (Dera, 2013) Having painstakingly said this, what then is 'ethics' in both 'social and business life?' Below is the definition of the word 'ethics' which according to the Author is the encompassing definition for corruption as well as human rights violation. # a) Definition of 'ethics' According to the Dictionary.com,unbridged 'ethics' is and was defined as; -A system of moral principles -A branch of philosophy dealing with right and wrong In other words and from the perspective of the Author, the right or wrong under the branch of philosophy cannot happen inter changeably that is, no one person is capable of doing the right and the wrong things at the same time or simultaneously. Having said this the stage is now set to discuss corruption firstly at the national level and then later on zero in on the HCC who as per title of this Paper are the subject of the probe by this Paper. b) An overview of corruption in Zimbabwe from the perspective of the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa 4 According to the above source, Zimbabwe's post independence era is characterized by a political leadership that has consistently failed to provide the best examples for accountability, transparency and (Act -Southern Africa). 3 Apartheid as practised in pre-independent South Africa is a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race, or better still, skin colour (Toro, 2014). 4 Trust of Southern Africa (Act -Southern Africa is a regional nongovernmental and non-political organisation that was set up in 2004 to campaign against corruption and promote good governance in Southern Africa. Act -Southern Africa is registered in Zimbabwe as a non-governmental organisation integrity. The leadership itself has since the 1980s engaged in acts of corruption and also condoned such acts on the part of their associates, relatives and friends (Tariro, 2014). And to prove it a stubborn case that readily comes to mind involves Thabo Mbeki, the former South African President, His Excellence President Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 and the Cabinet Ministers currently serving in His Excellence President Mugabe ZANU PF government.In December 2012 Thabo Mbeki came to Zimbabwe as guest of honour at the ZANU PF annual conference in Gweru. He told His Excellence President Mugabe in the face that a lot of his cabinet ministers were blocking the much needed foreign direct investment coming to Zimbabwe from South Africa by demanding bribes and kick backs, which they said they were for on lending to Mugabe (Enca News, 2012). As expected, His Excellence initially made some noises about it but for some strange reasons he just went quiet about it to let the implicated cabinet ministers off the hook. According to Act-Southern Africa there is heavy involvement by the political leadership, their associates, relatives and friends in corruption activities. The classic examples that have tainted the political leadership and their associates include and are not restricted to the under listed scandals lest the suffering masses of Zimbabweans have forgotten; What boggles the mind is that people like Honourable Minister Chombo with his special appetite for wrongdoing in the governance of the HCC, BiataNyamupinga etc have not only been left off the hook but have all been allowed to take part in all the elections past, present and future as if nothing has been said about them in the not too distant past. Before the Author tears into the corruption scandals that have rocked the cash ailing HCC left, right and centre there is no better way to do it with resounding success than to start with the tragedy of the Commons Scenario which is a perfect example of how the pursuit of a self serving corruption agenda resonates with this ancient parable (Tapera, 2013). - c) The Tragedy of the Commons Scenario According to Rusvingo (2008:78) on an agricultural community land there is common land that everybody has an equal right to use (state land in the case of Zimbabwe). Pursuing self interest, each neighborhood farmer acts to make the maximum use of the free resource or state land which quickly becomes warn out. Then a strong wind blows the exposed top soil so that the common land is thoroughly destroyed. The hot pursuit of individual self interest with no consideration for societal interests leads to disaster for each individual and for the whole society because scarce resources are now destroyed (Jones et al, 2000:159). The tragedy of the Commons Scenario leads us to yet another searching question: Why would business managers behave unethically? The fascinating story rich on morals is on its way as below: d) Why would business managers behave ethically? According to Rusvingo (2008:78) whether in Zimbabwe or anywhere in this globe of increasing complexity, managers behave ethically to avoid the under listed harm to others and society at large: i. Harm to others Managers in business including politicians in government should strongly resist pressures to behave unethically because of the harm that unethical behavior inflicts on others. The tragedy of the Commons is perhaps the easiest way to illustrate how unethical behavior results in harm and how also ethical behavior or action brings universal benefits to individuals and the wider society. ii. Loss of reputation An important safeguard against unethical behavior is the potential for loss of reputation. Reputation, lest you did not knew, is the esteem or high repute that individuals or organizations gain when they behave ethically. If a business manager or a politician in government service for that matter, misuses resources and other parties regard such behavior is at odds with acceptable standards of behavior that manager's reputation will certainly suffer. No two ways about it. Behaving unethically in the short run can have serious long term consequences. A business manager or a politician in government service who has a poor reputation has difficulties finding employment with other reputable companies (Jones et al, 2000:159-160). The above fascinating story about business managers or politicians behaving ethically or unethically leads to yet another searching question in need of a revealing answer: How did the delinquent or unethical behavior of the leadership in the beleaguered HCC result in more suffering to the residents and ratepayers of the HCC? e) How did the unethical behavior by the delinquent HCC result in more suffering to the Residents and Ratepayers of Harare For strategic reasons the Author would be guilt of jumping the gun to discuss the disaster related corruption in the HCC ahead of first of all the unethical behavior in the external environment given the old adage, that 'musha ndibaba' (meaning Zimbabwe's shape takes its cue from its political leadership). Beside, a fish rots from the head downwards. i. The level of corruption in Zimbabwe and its adverse effect on businesses According to Rusvingo (2008:8) on 28 January 2008 two senior government employees, the then Attorney General Sobusa Gula Ndebele and the then Grain marketing Board (GMB) Operations Director and former acting Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Muvuti appeared in court facing corruption charges. On that same day a close ally to His Excellence President Mugabe, Nicholas van Hogstraten was being unceremoniously dragged before the magistrate court and charged with illegally dealing in the then scarce foreign currency in the then decade long of an economic meltdown in Zimbabwe from 2000 to about 2008. These tongue wagging episodes in the then corruption ridden country set people of the likes of the inquisitive Author to wonder if these events at long last signaled the beginning of the end of the honeymoon for corrupt government officials and businessmen in Zimbabwe. Was at long last the evangelical Anticorruption Commission beginning to grow teeth to bite corrupt minded people in Zimbabwe? This was early days to celebrate as events on the ground were to prove otherwise. Whenever, the paranoid ZANU PF government has its senior government civil servants nabbed for corruption the next tactic was to look for a scapegoat. And in the Anticorruption Commission they found one. And for more on the story graphic details are on their way as below; f) The Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACC) speaks out amid allegations it is anti-government In March 2013 ZAAC was at this time of the year very much in the news but for the wrong reasons particularly in relation to its investigations accompanied by search warrants targeting the controversial, iron clad and repressive National Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB) 5 of 2007 in the build up to the 29 March 2008 harmonized elections which His Excellence President Mugabe lost to Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC 6 Vice President Joyce Mujuru speaks out her mind on corruption then rampant in impoverished Zimbabwe . This unprecedented move by ZAAC was interpreted as antigovernment the result of which there was a standoff between the Commission and Kasukuwere the then belligerent ZANU PF Minister of Youth and Indigenization and Economic Empowerment. The investigations by ZAAC had been politicized under the wrong insinuations that investigations had been dictated to by political and or party political motivations that seek to denigrate or derail the controversial and iron clad Indigenization and Economic Empowerment programme or to give an unfair advantage to particular elements of a particular persuasion ie, the then vibrant opposition MDC party.The next two or so months was to witness a protracted persecution of ZAAC members by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).All said and done it is now time to assess the corruption levels in Zimbabwe then and its adverse impact on the Zimbabwean economy and in particular the beleaguered HCC and its capacity for a world class service delivery. Her Honourable Joyce Mujuru, the second secretary and vice President of ZANU PF will give a key note address to this cancer in Zimbabwe as below. In January 2008 Vice President Joyce Mujuru said that the 'broken down and impoverished' nation of Zimbabwe was bleeding profusely because of high levels of corruption in the country's public and private sectors to become a real scourge to affect the fabric of society in the country: When we appoint these people", said Vice President Mujuru a state function at Hupenyu Hutsva Children's Home, "we assume they are capable but to some extent we have completely misjudged some people who hold important positions in both the public and private sectors. They are full of individualistic feelings and practices. We know what happened during Murambatsvina 7 6 MDC is an acronym for Movement for Democratic Change which was founded in 1999 as an opposition party to the ZANU PF. (Meaning Operation Restore 7 On 25 May 2005, Africa Day, the then paranoid government of Zimbabwe began an operation labelled "Operation Murambatsvina". While government has translated this to mean "Operation Clean Up" the more literal translation of "Murambatsvina" is "getting rid of the filthy". The operation, widely condemned both internally and externally continued throughout the month in June and had affected virtually every town and business centre in the country. From Mt Darwin in the north to Beitbridge in the south, Mutare in the East and Bulawayo in the West, no part of the country had been spared the impact of what could be termed a slow moving earthquake. Every day the nation then awoke to find more buildings had been razed to the ground around them, more families had been displaced. Families were often having their homes and possessions ruthlessly burnt to the ground, or are Order). This is what we call corruption, it is not good. Our society is no longer clean a clear reference to a culture of people paying bribes to put up illegal structures on unauthorized places. But before her keynote address as above three ZANU PF women and very close to the Vice President were reported involved in a Zim 8 $10 billion swindle case. The ZRP had referred the damaging case to Amai 9 h) Dr Gideon Gono (the then governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe) joins Amai Mujuru to speak out against corruption Mujuru for action but nothing was done under a cloud cover of corruption whose fight Amai Mujuru was spearheading. To prove that no substantive action was taken against any one of the offending three women, one of the offending and accused woman Biata Nyamupinga was allowed to enter the 29 March 2008 harmonized elections, campaigned and won to represent ZANU PF in one of the House of Assembly Parliamentary Seats in Goromonzi Parliamentary Constituency. So, Her Excellence Vice President Joyce Mujuru like His Excellence President Mugabe on his Cabinet Ministers demanding bribes to block investment coming to impoverished Zimbabwe as per Thabo Mbeki, former South African President confiding in His Excellence, President Mugabe, was actually being a hypocrite by pretending to be an anti-corruption crusader when in actual fact she provides shelter to arrested criminals on remand pending their appearance in court as earlier highlighted (Rusvingo, 2008:80). The then usually philosophical Gideon Gono, the Reserve Bank Governor could not wait to join the anti-corruption crusade and below is what he said which is a good prospect to both the Author and Reader. A month earlier in November 2008 the reserve bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor had said that he knew of many top party and government officials who were engaging in corrupt activities. Gono even lamented that top party and government officials were engaging in corrupt activities to the extent that they were responsible for the three months long cash crunch then experienced in the country which forced him to introduce six sets of high denomination notes on two occasions. Gono said he was prepared to name and shame the implicated top party and government officials.But he seemed to develop cold feet when unexpectedly he failed to turn up for the private meeting with the parliamentary portfolio committee on budget given a few hours to remove what they can save before bulldozers come in to demolish entire structure (Sokwanele, 2014). 8 Zim is an acronym for Zimbabwe the country then known as Rhodesia before independence from Britain in 1980. 9 Amai is a native (Shona) word for mother in the English Language. Shona in Zimbabwe is the second official language after English in which Ndebele is the third official native language in the country. and finance. But from information given anonymously indications were then that the officials were also taking part in the corrupt activities given the then multiplicity of quasi-fiscal activities then taking centre stage in the then hopelessly impoverished Zimbabwe (Rusvingo 2008:81). And finally the fascinating story so far on the battered Zimbabwe would remain largely an untoldstory without an input from the first secretary of ZANU PF, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Head of State and Government and Chancellor of all stateowned Universities in Zimbabwe, His Excellence President Mugabe. Proverbially speaking tinotimushandibaba (meaning the political or corporate leadership in a country or company is the ultimate authority with a final say on anything adversely affecting the country and business organisation respectively). Therefore, in complying with this old adage His Excellence President Mugabe was given his chance to give a closing address on the pestering problem on corruption and below are the graphic details of what His Excellence President Mugabe. i) His Excellence President Mugabe condemns the scourge of corruption in Zimbabwe as pivotal to both economy and company failure. # As indication of what Thabo Mbeki, the former South African President had confided in His Excellence President Mugabe when he came to Zimbabwe in December 2012 as guest of honour at the Gweru ZANU PF Annual Conference, Mugabe publicly hinted that officials in government service were corrupt to the bone. In one memorable speech a few years earlier he spoke of top people taking 10% of the total value of Government contracts. But alas, despite this tacit acknowledgement of corruption by Vice President AmaiMujuru, the RBZ Governor Dr Gideon Gono and His Excellence President Mugabe himself, there appears very little progress in completely stamping corruption once and for good (Rusvingo, 2008:81). Apart from government a multiple stakeholder approach to the burning issue of corruption in Zimbabwe would force the Author to extend his begging bowl to the usually reserved but information rich nongovernmental sector for their thoughts and ideas on the burning issue of corruption in Zimbabwe. In pursuit of this idea up next is to hear what Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) has to say on corruption in Zimbabwe. For more on what TIZ said more details are on their way coming to you as below. j) Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) gives its report on the scourge of corruption in Zimbabwe. In its integrity systems report what was said therein was a source of discomfort to the Author who from training and practice is comfortable with good governance minus the scourge of corruption. In this report on Zimbabwe 2007 the international corruption watchdog, TIZ had this to say: "Corruption in Zimbabwe is fast becoming a way of life. The rise in corruption has become so deep seated and institutionalized that some people now accept it as a means of survival due to a collapse of systems that offer checks and balances", said TIZ. Zimbabwe at the same time was ranked 157 among the most corrupt countries in the world. This, said TIZ, is despite the fact that Zimbabwe has a Ministry of Anti-corruption and under it the ZACC (Rusvingo, 2008:81). From the corruption reports awash in the media, various stakeholders were beginning to question the effectiveness of the Ministry of Anticorruption when statistics on the ground suggest that corruption in the country is ballooning out of control. Below was the public outrage raised against the said Ministry. k) The Ministry of anti-corruption and ZACC branded "useless" against the fight against rampant corruption in the country ZACC was under pomp and fan fair, established in 2005 but up to now its effectiveness in the fight against corruption is yet to be realized. The clueless ZACC, it was said by various stakeholders could actually turn out to be another white elephant, just like the disbanded office of the Ombudsman (Rusvingo, 2008:81) A founder member of Transparency International Zimbabwe, Professor John Makumbe was also approached for his opinion on the level of corruption in Zimbabwe below is what he said. # Professor John Makumbe blasts government over the spread of corruption in Zimbabwe The now late Professor John Makumbe, a social science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe and a respected political analyst believed then that corruption was an indication of the rot in the centre of governance system in Zimbabwe. The combative Professor Makumbe added that there was no way efforts to fight corruption in Zimbabwe could yield anything when the very people who are supposed to fight it are leading the corrupt vicious circle. "When systems of government collapse", said Professor Makumbe, "people resort to corrupt means of survival. At the moment there is no commitment whatsoever to fight corruption. It is almost like there is no one running the country". Professor Makumbe said that during an election campaign like this year (referring to 2008) the situation was likely to get worse. And to the Professor's prophetic words His Excellence President Mugabe with the assistance of the army, police, ZANU PF thugs most of them putting on trousers without underwears because humiliating poverty, had to go overdrive in his violent campaign trail in which 200 MDC supporters lost their lives to force Tsvangirai to withdraw from the 27 June 2008 Presidential run-off. "There is no political will to fight corruption especially in election time like 2008. The cost of fighting corruption is very high for government. So, they would leave things as they are. Look at what we have witnessed. We had Gono being stopped from exposing the cash barons. This was to avoid the political damage that would result", said Professor John Makumbe (Tatenda, 2014). The Anti-corruption Commissioners themselves were also caught in a corruption storm. Below are the graphic details of the story. # l) Anti-corruption Commissioners caught in a corruption storm According to Rusvingo (2008:82) both Wutaunashe and Nhandara the Anti-corruption Commissioners were reported dodging to answer questions on corruption because it was alleged at the time that some of them could be corrupt. Professor John Makumbe said: "If we are to fight corruption we have to get rid of the commission and the regime that put it in place." To prove the uselessness and hopelessness of ZAAC is that in 2006 it received 147 cases involving corruption but only a tiny fraction or number of were completed because of a number of challenges ranging from legal, operational, financial, technical and administrative (Rusvingo, 2008:82). # About these horrors, TIZ said: "There is more symbolic than substantive political commitment to curtail corruption and strengthen the integrity system in Zimbabwe (Takudzwa, 2008). Even the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and the Registry Department were being fingered in the country's corruption web. For more heart -wrenching details on the story see below. According to the research findings which were very revealing 62% of Zimbabweans paid a bribe to get service from the morally crippled: i. Education system ii. Judiciary system iii. Medical and health services iv. Zimbabwe Republic Police v. Registry and Permit Services vi. Public utilities such as HCC vii. Tax Revenue and viii. Land services Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), public servants especially from the Registry Department and political parties were the most corrupt in the country, closely followed by the Health Sector and the education sector, said TIZ. The highest cases of bribes recorded were: i. 53% bribes were paid to ZRP ii. 42% of bribes were paid to Registry iii. 35% of the bribes were paid to Land Services iv. 31% to the Judiciary System v. 27% to public utilities vi. 27% to Education system vii. 26% to Taxes and viii. 22% to medical and health services According to the TIZ report 67% were willing to report corruption but cited lack of action taken against the offender as the most inhibiting factor. Most respondents interviewed cited: i. Asiagate match fixing scandal ii. Abuse of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) iii. Corruption at the Passport offices iv. Grain Marketing Board depot and v. ZRP (Road Traffic Section) (Ndenda, 2013) How does this corruption in the external environment as above affect the business community, HCC and its service delivery systems included? For more on this see below. # n) A water crisis descends upon the HCC June 2013 The symptoms of a water crisis coming to Harare were as below: i. All areas in Harare going at most for five days without water supply and without advance warning being given for the interruption of the water supply ii. In the event the water supply is restored the pressure is very low resulting in most vegetable gardens going for days without the necessary watering iii. Compromised hygiene eg toilets going for days without the required flashing of human waste etc. iv. Leaking water pipes resulting in 20% of treated water lost through leakages v. Burst water pipes which are a part of a crumpling water infrastructure now in urgent need of replacement because of obsolescence vi. Waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, diahorrea etc, spreading fast eg, the 2008 cholera outbreak countrywide which claimed 4 500 lives (Mukandawire, 2011). Against this background the HCC has no money to restore adequate water supply to the Harare Residents as it is owed about US$ 400 million dollars in unpaid rates, water, refuse collection etc. To prove that HCC was and is in a cash squeeze to solve its water crisis the Daily News reported HCC had dispatched a high powered delegation to China to conclude a multimillion dollar deal to effectively tackle the water crisis that had hit most parts of the city. The cash ailing HCC needs about US$ 144.4 million loan from China to address the Harare water crisis. But US$ 2 million of that money was diverted to the purchase of vehicles for senior HCC Managers (Sithole, 2014). That move by the Town Clerk, Tendai Mahachi torched a public outrage with the Combined Harare Residence Association urging ratepayers to stage a massive rates payment boycott. (Tsungai, 2014). Apart from the above water crisis the HCC 600kilometre road network is heavily potholed for want of resources to mend the potholes which are now a permanent feature. Public street lighting is nonexistent in most parts of the HCC to turn them into a haven for night muggers. Grass cutting in open spaces and along road verges is not done regularly to turn Harare into a mosquito breeding place during the hot summer months from October to April. Storm water drainage systems are in a state of disrepair to cause flooding in some places resulting in some reported deaths. (Munjoma,1994). Refuse removal going uncollected for weeks if not months causing the wide spread of housefly related diseases such as diarrhea, stomach ache, vomiting etc (Mazorodze, 2013). Proverbially speaking, like father like son.If the external environment can be so user unfriendly to business because of corruption, how about corruption in the HCC. And the heart stopping HCC Vs Chodokufa (1998) story has some good prospect for both the Author and the Reader as below. o) Harare City Council Vs Chodokufa (1998) According to Rusvingo (2008:83) the harm to society and the loss of reputation by an individual is ambly demonstrated in the above case law, a graphic demonstration of the existence of corruption right in the power corridors of the HCC. Chodokufa was employed as the Highways and Works Superintendent in the Department of Works of the Harare City Council (HCC). Through loose morals he turned his private secretary at work into his girl friend unknown to his wife married to him under customary law.The girl friend was accommodated at a house leased and furnished at his expense in the High density low income Harare Suburb of Mufakose. Among some of the private secretary's duties was to book and maintain the overtime records of the Highways and Works Section which is situated at the Coventry Road Workshop yard. For more than five years Chodokufa, the Works Yard Superintendent used to be booked and paid overtime which he did not earn because the overtime records were the responsibility of his private secretary who also happened to be his girlfriend as aforementioned.The love triangle ran into serious problems when one night Chodokufa went to the girlfriend's rented premises in Mufakose only to find her in bed with another man. After knocking for several minutes without response, he smashed one bedroom window only to spot another man being entertained on his bed and on premises leased by him on behalf of his girlfriend that was being abused.This did not go down well with Chodokufa and in a feat of extreme rage he forcibly knocked down the main door to the house to gain access into the house. Once inside and using his bare knuckled hands and booted feet he severely attacked the offending and trespassing man whom he left for dead. He then turned to the double dipping girlfriend who he thoroughly beat. She was left lying in a pool of blood and in a state of semiconsiousness and with two broken ribs and several missing teeth. The enraged Chodokufa then turned to the house furniture which he reduced to rubble. Satisfied the offending girlfriend had met the full justice of her offence, he set off on the 25 kilometer journey to Chitungwiza, a dormitory town to Harare driving his HCC provided vehicle. When he got there around midnight and in clothes which were blood stained, his wife, smelling a rat, demanded to know where he was coming from at that ungodly hour of the night. When she could not get a satisfactory and convincing answer to her probing questions from the double dipping Chodokufa all hell broke loose at his Chitungwiza house. All the household furniture including the HCC provided vehicle went up in smoke in the ensuing domestic violence. And for the night the badly injured Chodokufa had to seek overnight refugee from the nearby Chitungwiza Police Station. At work, the following morning the disgraced girlfriend, in a vengeful mood was spilling the beans that the morally bankrupt Chodokufa fraudulently earned overtime pay for which he did not shed an iota of sweat. Chodokufa with a loss of reputation, he lost his high earning job with the HCC. He also lost both his girlfriend and wife in the Mufakose Chitungwiza fracas respectively. For the damage he caused to the lessor's house in Mufakose he was sued for millions of Zimbabwean Dollars. The stolen overtime earned for five years and running into several millions of Zimbabwean Dollars were recovered from his terminal benefits which proved insufficient to the point that his Chitungwiza marital house was auctioned off for a song to recover the stolen money. For theft and malicious destruction of property in Mufakose and Chitungwiza he was jailed for five years with hard labour and without the option of fine. Such was the long term consequences of Chodokufa's unethical behavior -loss of reputation and harm to wider society including his close family who were to suddenly become destitute because their breadwinner was no more. The saddening reports that are given in confidence by practitioners in commerce and industry suggest that a third of the contract values awarded to the business community by the equally cash ailing Zimbabwe Government goes towards the greasing of the palms of Senior government officials in 'kick backs'. (Rusvingo, 2008:82). This makes unethical behavior or corruption one of the biggest variables to undermine business confidence in Zimbabwe to compete with the country's poor governance, poor economic performance, an overregulated trading environment and a backward technological environment. 'Chisingapere chinoshura' (Meaning everything never mind how entertaining has to come to an end. The extremely fascinating and sensational World Cup 2014 in Brazil which started in Sao Paulo on 12 June 2014 had to come to a grinding halt on 13 July 2014. And so is this probe into how corruption has been pivotal to many businesses collapsing in Zimbabwe. With that uppermost in the mind up next is the Summary of this article for publication. # III. # Summary As a way of recapping on the contents of this Paper the discourse kicked off by listening to the conversation between two delighted policemen who sounded greatly relieved for at last voting in the 31 July 2013 harmonized elections without the 'Big Brother' watching which was to become the first encounter with corruption in this Paper. The moral from this story was also discussed.The relationship between business ethics and corruption was also discussed and how it is pivotal in the failure of many businesses in Zimbabwe. An overview of corruption in Zimbabwe was carried out with the Act -Southern Africa turning centre stage. Next was the tragedy of the commons which taught us that pursuit of self interest at the expense of wider society is harmful to both you the perpetrator and the wider society.The need for managers to behave ethically was also discussed and so was the how and why the unethical behavior by the delinquent HCC brought untold suffering to the Harare Residents and Ratepayers.The Anti-corruption Commission and the Anti-Corruption Ministry joins the fray but the puzzle remains that corruption instead of dying down is in fact on an upward trend. On the level of corruption in the country Amai Joyce Mujuru, the Vice President gave the keynote address followed by the RBZ Governor, Gideon Gono. The closing address was given by His Excellence President Mugabe.The chorus from all of them without exception was a relentless attack on corruption which they all said was pivotal not only to the meltdown of the Zimbabwean economy but the collapse of commerce and industry in the impoverished SADC country. From the non-governmental organization sector came the Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) and Professor John Makumbe who also condemned corruption in the strongest of terms. The Ministry of Anti-Corruption and ZAAC are singled out for not doing enough to eradicate corruption in the country as ZAAC commissioners are themselves caught in a corruption storm. ZRP and Registry departments are fingered as the most corrupt institutions in the country, among others such as Education system, Judiciary system, medical and health services, land services etc.Up next is how corruption has left a trail of destruction in the HCC service delivery with the heart-stopping corruption case law of HCC Vs Chodokufa (1998) closing the discourse in this Paper. Either of the Null (Ho) or alternative (H1) hypothesis has to be accepted in the light of the literature review carried out. Research methodology and the data analysis , presentation and discussion of research findings were also carried out in the Paper. To carry out the verdict on this probe is the Conclusion which is up next. # IV. # Conclusion In any country the people rely on the media, print and electronic to get to grips with what is going on in the country be it political, economic, legal, technological, ethical, corruption and diplomatic developments taking place in the country and below is what the media in Zimbabwe said about corruption in the years 1980 and 2014. First to open up on corruption in Zimbabwe was Agere (2013) who said because of rampant corruption in the HCC, Harare had lost its glamour.Pamire (2013) said that Zimbabwe was ranked '157' among the most corrupt countries in the World. Takawira (2014) said that corruption was very rife in schools where teachers were allowed to do extra lessons for a fee.Tigere (2014) also reiterated that corruption in any economy is and was enemy number one. Tonderai (2014) hinted that political interference thwarts efforts to combat corruption. The Honourable Minister of Media and Broadcasting services Jonathan Moyo had been treated as weevil bent on destroying ZANU PF from within and should be treated as an oddball. Bere (2014) had remarked that there were so many of his ministers caught in the corruption web and it was high time His Excellence President Mugabe took punitive action against bad apples in his government. Tonderai (2014) came out in the media bitterly complaining that time was ripe to deal decisively with corruption and not gloss over it. Reference was to the high profile bribery case involving Masimirembwa .The bribery was to the tune of US$ 6 million and the complainant against Masimirembwa was developing cold feet in what is that big fish are never brought to book but only small fish are caught (Tarumbwa, 2014). Dera (2014) had remarked ![m) ZRP, Registry Department fingered in corruption web: TIZ According to a TIZ report for 2012, 77% of Zimbabweans think corruption in the country has dramatically increased in the past two years. The TIZ Researcher, Farai Mutondoro told participants at the launch of the TIZ 2012 corruption report in that most corruption issues cited involved: ? Zimbabwe Republic Police ? Politicians across the political divide ? Registrar General's Office ? Football authorities in Zimbabwe and the ? Grain Marketing Board Depots](image-2.png "") The NIEEB was set up under the iron clad and repressive Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act of 2007. The gist of the then controversial Act was and remains the transfer of a 51% shareholding stake in all foreign owned companies doing business in Zimbabwe. Targeting foreigners for compulsory seizure of assets in a 51 -49 % investment model is xenophobic against foreigners coming to do business in an impoverished Zimbabwe. Business and Corruption have a Non-Directional Relationship: Evidence from the Harare City Council, Zimbabwe that if corruption is left to take root as elsewhere reported in the corruption tolerant Zimbabwe it is the economy that will suffer. All the people implicated in corrupt activities have been allowed to walk scot free. And finally,Tatenda (2014) had suggested that unless His Excellence President Mugabe had genuine interest to fight corruption or graft, the corruption cancer would spread like wild fire. All said and done, therefore the implicit alternative hypothesis that corruption is and continues to buffet the comatose Zimbabwean economy left right and centre. Given the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis as above, what then in the recommended risk treatment to eliminate corruption in the impoverished Zimbabwe? Below are the Recommendations. V. ## Recommendations According to the Chief Reporter (2014) who did not disclose his name to the Newsday readership, he had this to say about government coffers running dry, among other debilitating issues battering Zimbabwe left, right and centre: 'The biggest challenge in the country is the leadership. The country has no leader. The ship has no captain and the country is in the middle of an economic hurricane. That the ship will sink is inevitable'. The Chief Reporter cannot say it better than that. What he/she said resonates with media consensus on corruption in the country that : "Mugabe has no genuine interest to fight graft (Tatenda, 2014). "Mugabe must act on bad apples in his government" (Bere, 2014). Political interference thwarts efforts to combat corruption (Tigere, 2014). So, until the country gets the appropriate political leadership, 'Mwari tibatsirei', (Meaning, God help us. Amen). * Harare has lost its glamour. The Standard CAgere 2013. December 22 11 * Mugabe must act on bad apples in his government CBere Newsday 9 2014. March 10 * Movement for Democratic Change PChihoro 2014. June 24 * ZANU PF leads in human rights violations. The Standard GDera 2013. July 14 4 * March 9-15) Failure to deal with corruption will ruin the economy. The Standard GDera 2014 11 * Police will finally vote without "The Big Brother" watching. The Standard CDube 2013. July 13 8 * Business Review 6th Edition GJones 2000 Oxford University Press Oxford * Zim waste management strategies: New wines in old skins CMazorodze Newsday 3 2013. October 19 * PMoyo 2014. June 21 * Estimating the productive numbers for the 2008 -9 cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe ZMukandawire 2011 * Harare woman drowns in Harare Sewer reticulation system. The Herald SMunjoma 1994. April 5 1 * ) Police, Registry Department most corrupt ENdenda 2013. July 16 TIZ. Newsday 5 * Zimbabwe ranked 157 among most corrupt countries ZPamire 2013. December 4 5 Newsday * PPasipamire Jonathan Moyo is no oddball. Tutani. Newsday 8 2014. June 20 * 78) An investigation into the variables which militate against a world class service delivery by the Harare City Council in the then turbulent political economic, legal, technological, ethical, diplomatic and socio-cultural environments as measured in Zimbabwe between SRusvingo 2008. 2000-2008 Irish University Business School. London Unpublished PHD Thesis * US$ 2 million of the Chinese? CSithole 2014. June 25 * PSokwanele 2014. June 24 * February 9-15) Corruption now rife in schools PTakawira 2014 Newsday 4 * Even with a commission, graft breeds in Zimbabwe. The Standard PTakudzwa 2008. February 3 1 * Bad leadership examples for accountability, transparency and integrity in Zimbabwe PTapera Politics 2013. September 13 * CTariro Chombo defends Town Clerk, Mahachi. Newsday 2014. June 20 2 * BTarumbwa 2014. June 26 * March 16-22) Mugabe has no genuine interest to fight graft. The Standard PTatenda 2014 3 * March 7-13) Political interference thwarts efforts to combat corruption. The Zimbabwe Independent TTigere 2014 7 * March 9-15) Time we deal with graft not glass over it. The Standard TTonderai 2014 6 * TToro 2014. June 22 * STsungai 2014. June 25