Zimbabwe runs its government buying through laws written in its main rulebook and other official papers. The country needs clear buying rules because spending public money demands careful watching. Their rules say the buying must happen openly, fairly, honestly, cheaply, and with companies competing against each other. The Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act created the group that checks all this buying, called PRAZ.
Money losses happen when these rules break down. One case showed laptops priced at $9,200 each when they should have cost much less. Desktop computers also went for $3,000 each - way above normal prices. Another problem saw $89 million meant for COVID-19 help that nobody could explain where it went. Parliament asked police and anti-corruption teams to look into this missing money.
The law says competitive buying should be the normal way government offices get things. Only special cases allow direct buying from just one seller. Even then, the office must write down why they skipped normal competition. Zimbabwe joined many international agreements against dirty deals, but problems continue anyway. Government offices keep breaking the rules despite all efforts to fix the system.
Direct buying became common during two major emergencies: COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai. Government reports show that 75% of COVID contracts used direct buying without competition, leading to very high prices and hidden deals. The watchdog group found that the country could have saved 65% of the money spent if normal competition had occurred instead of direct deals.
The country tried different rules during COVID-19. They said all medical supplies must go through one company, NatPharm. This seemed good for getting big discounts but created problems. With 20 ministries, 107 government companies, 14 state schools, and many local councils all needing supplies, the system became clogged. Some people took advantage by charging crazy prices - like $28 for masks worth $1.
Money problems made things worse. Zimbabwe faced high inflation, making normal 60-90-day buying cycles impossible as prices jumped daily. The government tried letting offices pay in US dollars at official exchange rates, but black market rates differed greatly. Many companies stopped joining government bids because money problems made deals too risky.
A famous case involved Drax International LLC, hired to supply $20 million in COVID medicines. When people discovered inflated prices and crooked deals, the government canceled the contract. Three officials from NatPharm faced arrest for approving this deal without following proper steps. The health minister lost his job, though courts later cleared him of wrongdoing.
Another bad deal involved the Gwanda Solar Project. The company chosen, Intratrek, had no experience building power plants. Worse yet, their boss had past fraud convictions that should have stopped him from winning government work. Officials paid over $5.6 million without board approval. The company never delivered what it promised.
The country needs several changes to fix these problems. It should protect people who report corruption, enforce rules about conflicts of interest, clarify company ownership, and punish rule-breakers. Moving to electronic buying systems would help track everything better. The main lesson stands clear—even during emergencies, careful buying practices matter greatly.
Money losses happen when these rules break down. One case showed laptops priced at $9,200 each when they should have cost much less. Desktop computers also went for $3,000 each - way above normal prices. Another problem saw $89 million meant for COVID-19 help that nobody could explain where it went. Parliament asked police and anti-corruption teams to look into this missing money.
The law says competitive buying should be the normal way government offices get things. Only special cases allow direct buying from just one seller. Even then, the office must write down why they skipped normal competition. Zimbabwe joined many international agreements against dirty deals, but problems continue anyway. Government offices keep breaking the rules despite all efforts to fix the system.
Direct buying became common during two major emergencies: COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai. Government reports show that 75% of COVID contracts used direct buying without competition, leading to very high prices and hidden deals. The watchdog group found that the country could have saved 65% of the money spent if normal competition had occurred instead of direct deals.
The country tried different rules during COVID-19. They said all medical supplies must go through one company, NatPharm. This seemed good for getting big discounts but created problems. With 20 ministries, 107 government companies, 14 state schools, and many local councils all needing supplies, the system became clogged. Some people took advantage by charging crazy prices - like $28 for masks worth $1.
Money problems made things worse. Zimbabwe faced high inflation, making normal 60-90-day buying cycles impossible as prices jumped daily. The government tried letting offices pay in US dollars at official exchange rates, but black market rates differed greatly. Many companies stopped joining government bids because money problems made deals too risky.
A famous case involved Drax International LLC, hired to supply $20 million in COVID medicines. When people discovered inflated prices and crooked deals, the government canceled the contract. Three officials from NatPharm faced arrest for approving this deal without following proper steps. The health minister lost his job, though courts later cleared him of wrongdoing.
Another bad deal involved the Gwanda Solar Project. The company chosen, Intratrek, had no experience building power plants. Worse yet, their boss had past fraud convictions that should have stopped him from winning government work. Officials paid over $5.6 million without board approval. The company never delivered what it promised.
The country needs several changes to fix these problems. It should protect people who report corruption, enforce rules about conflicts of interest, clarify company ownership, and punish rule-breakers. Moving to electronic buying systems would help track everything better. The main lesson stands clear—even during emergencies, careful buying practices matter greatly.
