Corruption in Disaster Risk Management: Governance Failures, Humanitarian Accountability and Lessons for Zimbabwe from the SADC Region

Abstract

Disaster risk management (DRM) is commonly presented as a technical field concerned with early warning, preparedness, emergency response and recovery. Yet the effectiveness of these functions is fundamentally shaped by governance. This paper critically examines how corruption, political patronage, weak accountability and institutional fragmentation influence DRM, with particular emphasis on Zimbabwe and comparative evidence from the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The study adopts a qualitative conceptual-review design informed by principal-agent theory, institutional theory and the social vulnerability perspective. It synthesises peer-reviewed literature, regional strategies, government policies and humanitarian accountability guidance. The review finds that corruption may occur throughout the disaster cycle through manipulated risk assessments, politically selective beneficiary registration, opaque emergency procurement, diversion of relief supplies, inflated reconstruction contracts, favouritism and the exclusion of marginalised communities. Across SADC, recurring climate shocks interact with fiscal constraints, centralised institutions, uneven local capacity and limited public disclosure. Zimbabwe displays many of these regional vulnerabilities, including fragmented coordination, inadequate
preparedness, limited community participation and weak systems for tracing resources from procurement to final beneficiaries. The paper proposes an integrated Disaster Integrity and Accountability Framework built around transparent targeting, open emergency contracting, end-to-end digital tracking, independent assurance, community verification and enforceable sanctions. It concludes that disaster resilience cannot be achieved through technical capacity alone. Effective DRM in Zimbabwe requires political neutrality, credible institutions and accountability mechanisms embedded across prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and reconstruction.