While millions of Zimbabweans struggle to make ends meet, a crisis of leadership is unfolding within the very institutions that are supposed to serve them. The Auditor-General’s 2024 report has ripped the curtain back on the boardrooms of our state-owned enterprises, revealing a shocking culture of negligence and a blatant disregard for the rules. This isn’t just about mismanagement; it’s about a fundamental breakdown in governance where the people appointed to safeguard our national assets are failing at their most basic duties, costing the nation dearly.
The report highlights a disturbing trend, with governance-related problems rising to 319 in 2024. These are not minor administrative errors. These are significant breaches of the law, pointing to a deep-seated rot at the highest levels of our parastatals.
One of the most damning findings is the widespread failure of boards to evaluate their own performance. Imagine a school where teachers never have their performance reviewed, or a company where employees are never assessed. That is exactly what is happening in our state enterprises. At the Health Professions Authority of Zimbabwe (HPAZ), the body responsible for overseeing our healthcare professionals, the AG found that “the performance of Authority’s individual board members was not evaluated for the year ended December 31, 2024.”
This lack of accountability creates a vacuum where poor performance goes unchecked and bad decisions are never questioned. The consequences are devastating, leading to compromised oversight and, ultimately, financial ruin.
The report also exposes a “revolving door” of leadership that ignores legal term limits. At the same Health Professions Authority, the AG noted that two board members had “exceeded eight (8) years in aggregate as they were appointed in 2015.” This is in direct violation of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, a law designed specifically to prevent individuals from becoming entrenched in positions of power and to ensure fresh perspectives. When board members overstay their welcome, it fosters complacency and stifles innovation.
The problem extends to attendance and commitment. At the Forestry Commission, a critical body tasked with managing our natural resources, one board member attended only 25% of the meetings in a year. The law requires a minimum attendance of 75%. When board members don’t even show up for work, who is steering the ship?
This leadership crisis is not without a cost. The report links these governance failures directly to financial losses. When boards fail to provide proper oversight, it opens the door for unauthorized payments, questionable contracts, and a general misuse of public funds. It is no coincidence that 31 of these entities were flagged by the Auditor-General as “going concern” risks, meaning they are on the verge of collapse. The rot starts at the top.
The Auditor-General’s message is clear and urgent: boards must “pay attention to matters that I have raised so as to improve transparency and accountability.” This is not just a recommendation; it is a desperate plea to restore order and integrity to our public institutions.
For the ordinary Zimbabwean, this is not just a story about corporate governance. It is about the money that should be fixing our roads, stocking our clinics, and funding our schools. It is about the deep sense of frustration that comes from watching public officials fail to meet their most basic responsibilities while the nation pays the price. Until there is a genuine commitment to enforcing the law and holding these boards accountable, the revolving door will keep spinning, and taxpayers will continue to be footing the bill for their failures.
