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'Zimbabwe one of most corrupt countries'
Nqobizitha
Khumalo, ZimOnline
September 25, 2008
http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=3707
Zimbabwe has
been rated one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according
to the latest
Transparency International
corruption perceptions index (CPI) ratings.
The 2008 CPI polled 180
countries, the same number as the 2007 CPI, on a scale from zero
(highly corrupt) to 10 (highly clean).
Zimbabwe was this year
ranked number 166 with a CPI score of 1.8, a significant slide from
last year when the crisis-sapped nation was ranked number 150 with
a score of 2.1 points.
Transparency International,
which released its latest CPI ratings on Tuesday, ranked Botswana
the least corrupt country in Africa at position 36 with a score
of 5.8, while continental economic giant South Africa was ranked
number 54.
The CPI measures perceived
levels of public-sector corruption in a given country and is a composite
index, drawing on different expert and business surveys.
Denmark, New Zealand
and Sweden share the highest score at 9.3 this year, followed immediately
by Singapore at 9.2.
Zimbabwe is at the bottom
of the scale together with strife-torn countries like Somalia, Iraq,
Myanmar, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Haiti.
Countries that have improved
significantly in their corruption level status over the last year
are Albania, Cyprus, Georgia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, South
Korea, Tonga and Turkey.
Zimbabwe's economic
collapse has fuelled corruption at all levels of society as many
people are forced to resort to unorthodox means to survive in a
country grappling with world's highest inflation of more than
11 million percent, shortages of foreign currency, food, fuel, water
and electricity.
The report, by the global
anti-corruption body, says rampant corruption in low-income countries
jeopardises global efforts to fight poverty and threatens to derail
the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
It also says unchecked
levels of corruption would add US$50 billion or nearly half of annual
global aid outlays to the cost of achieving the MDG on water and
sanitation.
Transparency
International chairwoman Huguette Labelle said: "In the poorest
countries, corruption levels can mean the difference between life
and death, when money for hospitals or clean water is in play. "Stemming
corruption requires strong oversight through parliaments, law enforcement,
independent media and a vibrant civil society. When these institutions
are weak, corruption spirals out of control with horrendous consequences
for ordinary people and for justice and equality in societies more
broadly."
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