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Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) - July update
Transparency International – Zimbabwe (TI-Z)
July 30, 2009

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On the 1st of April 2009 Transparency International - Zimbabwe (TI-Z) opened its Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) to provide citizens with a forum to report corruption, propose solutions and seek advice. From April 2009, ALAC publishes an update of corruption trends as reported by the public accompanied by an analysis of the given statistics. The purpose is not to name and shame any individuals, entities or sectors. But it is hoped that this will prompt a self reflection process which leads to institutional and systemic reforms at an institutional level, and a change in value systems to more ethical and moral conduct at a personal level. At a political policy making and governance level it is hoped that the magnitude of the problem is appreciated and its prioritisation raised in the development and recovery agenda.

TI-Z has noticed that some public officials are beginning to speak out against corruption and are suggesting ways of combating it, although these are very few. The fact that the high ranking public officials like the Attorney General are now talking about reducing the occurrence of graft in their institutions is an indicator that the magnitude of the problem is beginning to be appreciated. It is hoped that more is done in light of the ongoing efforts to attract foreign direct investment in various sectors of the country.

In the month's update it has emerged that a trend perceived to be creating fertile ground for corruption and already creating suspicions of corruption, as well as causing resentment directed at service providers among communities is the collection of US$1 per household by service providers. These informal fees are apparently being demanded from residents towards the payment of repairs or restoration of services that legally should be covered by statutory gazetted billing systems. Parents attending TI-Z community meetings in various suburbs in Harare have complained that there are teachers in some government schools who are demanding direct payment of US$1 per child every week, despite an improvement in the teachers' reward structure since five months ago.

Those students failing to raise this US$1 are being punished or just merely marginalised and denied an opportunity to learn. Parents were willing to contribute to the remuneration of teachers prior to the US$100 offered as a monthly stop gap intervention by government.

Complainants and residents also inform TI-Z that similar informal fees for the provision of services, repairs or restoration of services are being allegedly extorted from the residents in various areas throughout the country by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Holdings), ZESA and the local authorities. These suppliers are reported to collect US$1000 up to US$5000 at any point in a month from residents that supposedly goes towards restoring stolen or defunct power lines or fixing burst pipes; only for the same problems to emerge again in the same locality triggering the same demand for door to door contributions from residents.

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