ZIMBABWE’S SHAMEFUL SECRET: HOW OFFICIALS ARE LOOTING TRAVEL FUNDS WHILE THE NATION STARVES

In a country where hospitals lack basic medicines, children learn under trees, and millions go to bed hungry, government officials in Zimbabwe are helping themselves to public funds with no shame and no fear. The latest Auditor-General’s report confirms what every citizen already suspects: those in power are stealing, lying, and getting away with it.

The financial report for the year ending 31 December 2024, presented to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and Parliament just last month, exposes shocking levels of abuse in how government officials handle travel and subsistence allowances. Instead of following the law, they are signing off millions without proof, without records, and without accountability.

The acting Auditor-General Rheah Kujinga revealed that officials processed ZWL$38,288,135 in travel allowances with no departure or arrival times recorded on the forms. In simple terms, people claimed money for trips without proving they ever left. This is public theft — dressed up in paperwork.

By law, under Section 59 (15)(f) of the Public Finance Management (Treasury Instructions) of 2019, every transaction must be properly checked before money is released. Officers must confirm the details are clear and correct. But what’s happening is the exact opposite. Money is being paid out with no basic checks. And no one is stopping it.

The report says this lack of detail means allowances can be misstated. That is a soft word for fraud. It means someone can make up a trip, lie about the details, and still get paid. It means money meant for development is being pocketed by greedy officials who already enjoy the best lives while the rest of the country suffers.

And what did the management say when they were caught? “We acknowledge the finding. Staff will be impressed upon to include departure and arrival times.” That’s it. No action. No penalties. Just a polite request that next time, maybe they should try to follow the rules. This is why Zimbabwe continues to bleed — because corruption is treated as a small mistake, not a national crisis.

Let us be clear: ZWL$38 million is not small money. That amount could build new schools. It could fund ambulances. It could pay teachers and nurses. It could change lives. But instead, it disappears into thin air — or worse, into luxury trips, shopping sprees, and private bank accounts. This is not just corruption. It is cruelty.

While the rich in government enjoy unexplained wealth, ordinary citizens are forced to hustle just to survive. They wait for hours in clinics with no drugs. They walk long distances to fetch water. They send their children to schools with no books, no toilets, and no future. And all this is happening while public funds are being looted in plain sight.

We cannot call this a democracy when those in power answer to no one. Zimbabwe needs real accountability — not just reports, but results. Parliament must stop being silent. The Auditor-General’s findings must lead to arrests, not apologies. Whistleblowers must be protected. And the people must rise up and demand that public money serves the public, not the powerful.

Enough is enough. Zimbabwe belongs to its people, not to the corrupt few who treat the treasury like their personal wallet. Every dollar stolen is a dollar taken from a sick patient, a poor student, or a hungry family. We must not allow this to continue. If we want change, we must demand it — loudly, boldly, and without fear.