Corruption is costing Zimbabwe approximately $1.8 billion annually, undermining economic recovery efforts and threatening the government’s Vision 2030, according to Loice Matanda Moyo, Director of the National Prosecution Authority and former Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.
Speaking at a stakeholder event, Matanda Moyo described corruption as “endemic and systemic,” cautioning that if it remains unchecked, Zimbabwe’s ambitions to become a middle-income economy by 2030 could be derailed.
“Corruption remains one of the greatest hurricanes to the resuscitation of an economically thriving Zimbabwe,” she said. “If we don’t fight corruption, we may not be able to see a successful Vision 2030 coming into fruition.”
Matanda Moyo highlighted that the $1.8 billion in illicit financial outflows could have been used to fund critical services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure development. “You can imagine what $1.8 billion could do,” she added. “These financial leakages bleed the economy and hinder sustainable development.”
She urged stakeholders to actively participate in anti-corruption efforts, emphasizing that the impact of corruption disproportionately affects ordinary citizens. “The ordinary citizenry suffers the most, trapped in poverty due to corruption,” she said, calling for a collective push to recover stolen assets.
Matanda Moyo warned that corruption is a global menace, leaving governments without resources to fund development and basic services. “It is time we totally eradicate corruption in Zimbabwe,” she urged, noting that decisive action was needed to restore public trust and economic stability.
Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 seeks to transform the nation into an upper-middle-income economy. However, Matanda Moyo stressed that this goal would remain elusive unless corruption is rooted out and financial discipline restored.
