Editorial Comment

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube, in presenting his 2020 National Budget on Thursday, which he said marked the end of “austerity measures”, missed an opportunity to indeed pave the way for real relief for a burdened population battling to make ends meet as the economy continues on its downward spiral.

Many people were already battling to afford basic foodstuffs such as mealie-meal and bread, and yet their prices are set to skyrocket once more following the removal of subsidies for grain imports.

The majority of people were hoping that this budget would demonstrate government’s commitment to alleviate ordinary people’s suffering, but it is likely to deepen the hardship as the “festive” season fast approaches against a grim backdrop of high prices of basic goods.

Ncube’s proposal for the government-owned Grain Marketing Board and grain millers in the country to source their own foreign currency to import grain for resale at market prices will only serve to push the prices of staple foods out of control. Grain millers, who will import grain and wheat, will likely purchase foreign currency on the parallel market and that will have a huge impact on their pricing mechanism.

While Ncube opted to use the moderate phrase that “prices of basic commodities such as bread and mealie-meal may adjust” we are quite aware they can only adjust upwards, exerting more pressure on an already heavily-burdened population that was hoping for some good news from the budget, especially as government had been preaching the gospel of the end of the austerity measures that have been used to justify the increase in prices of basic commodities before.

Although the minister indicated that the subsidies had become prone to abuse, there was need to think through the change of tact without creating a situation that would punish the innocent.

It raises more questions why government would continue supporting the Command Agriculture programme, which is under probe by Parliament after failing to account for US$3 billion in public money, yet the financial authorities are alleging abuse of food aid for its citizens.

Funny enough, it’s the ruling Zanu PF party which has always been caught in the crosswires of food aid abuse.

Government should stop beating about the bush and, instead, go after the bush.

A nation with hungry people is not stable. Already, people are failing to put decent meals on the table, and worse is coming next year when some of Ncube’s warped reforms kick in.

BY Patricia Sibanda

A VIOLENT storm blew off classroom rooftops at Ntambala Primary School in Bulilima soon after a parents’ meeting at the school on Tuesday afternoon, although no one was injured.

Bulilima Rural District Council chairperson John Brown Ncube confirmed the incident, which destroyed stationery at the school.

“Both text and exercise books were damaged and there is need to replace those because pupils will not be able to learn without proper essentials,” he said.

He said $34 000 was needed to repair destroyed infrastructure and $18 000 for the textbooks.

Ncube said as soon as reconstruction starts, they would make sure that the department of Forestry would facilitate the planting of trees.

“We will be working with the department of forestry to plant trees that will act as windbreakers because the school is situated on bare ground where there are no trees or vegetation. The planting of trees will indeed be of great difference,” he said.

Ncube appealed to well-wishers to assist because children deserved to learn in a safe environment.

“We would be really grateful and esteemed if there are people who want to help because we really need all the support that we can get. Children are learning from outside, which is not safe at all because it is the rainy season and they might get sick. Learning is taking place but it is impossible to work without all learning materials,” he said.

By Praisemore Sithole

BULAWAYO vendors on Thursday joined the world in commemorating the International Street Vendors Day, which ran under the theme “Unity is our Strength”.

Informal traders commemorate International Street Vendors Day on November 14 each year.

Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) executive director Michael Ndiweni said the day was special because it showed the strength and unity of vendors.

“This day is very important and special because it demonstrates the strength and unity of vendors as they thrive for the growth of the economy,” he told Southern Eye.

“Vendors contribution to the economy has been constantly ignored, especially in Zimbabwe but they constitute about 60% of the economy and we are striving to reach about 80%.”

Ndiweni said they were constantly engaging the local authority to ensure the protection of vendors against harassment.

“We salute street vendors, who have endured harassment and confiscation of their wares, yet still continue to fend for families, while their contributions to the country’s Gross Domestic Product,” he said.

“In this vein, we are calling for due recognition of the contribution of street vendors to the national economy and government and its various agencies to deal with challenges faced by vendors.”

Ndiweni called for urgent decriminalisation of vending, reiterating his call for a strategy to transition from street vending to formal trading.

“Some of the problems of vendors such as being harassed have emanated from the legal framework; therefore some of the laws have to be changed to reduce harassment,” he said.

He urged the government to tailor-make social security schemes for street vendors, especially women.

“We have engaged with the council so that vendors can pay taxes. This will reduce the harassment of vendors as they will enjoy protection from council.”

BY Stephen Chadenga

A LOCAL governance expert, Vincent Chakunda, has called for legislative framework that ensures that public officials declare their assets to avoid looting and abuse of public resources.

Speaking recently at a Public Finance Management workshop organised by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) in Gweru, Chakunda said it was ironic that despite their low salaries and allowances, civil servants and politicians became rich overnight with untraceable wealth.

“Government employees and other public officials should have wealth that is traceable,” Chakunda said.

“We can’t have public officials who become millionaires overnight. We should have a public management system that ensures that public officials do not generate wealth through corruption.”

Chakunda said the Public Management Act should be strengthened to deal with graft, which he said had destroyed the economy.

He said it was disheartening that public officials who got their wealth through corruption were being treated as enterprising people when they should be arrested.

Chakunda said there was need to deal with institutionalised corruption which he said had become a cancer in the country.

“We may have good laws but as long as we don’t transform government institutions in the way they operate, we will continue to face serious corruption,” he said.

Experts say some of the wealthiest people in Zimbabwe are senior civil servants and politicians.

In 2009, then Speaker of the House of Assembly, Lovemore Moyo, promised that he would fight to ensure that all legislators declared their assets and the assets register be kept at Parliament.

The pledge by Moyo, however, suffered a stillbirth with critics suggesting that it was resisted because most public officials had “skeletons in their cupboards”.

BY RUVIMBO MUCHENJE

People living with impairments (PLWIs), who constitute 15% of Zimbabwe’s population, are being excluded from the electoral discourse because of communication barriers, a Deaf Zimbabwe Trust (DZT) official has said.

Speaking at a National Youth Organisation (Nayo)-organised election accountability dialogue in Harare recently, DZT programmes manager Paidamoyo Chimhini said: “The communication channels used by duty bearers to communicate to the electorate deny people living with impairments a chance to be active participants in the national discourse.”

She added that inclusion is expensive and duty bearers tend to forgo it at the expense of PLWIs.

“Inclusion can be quite expensive and many times people forego it. There is need for an interpreter and even a venue that people in wheelchairs can access,” Chimhini said.

She lauded political parties that included sign language during the campaign period, but urged them to go beyond rallies in accommodating and implementing the views of PLWIs.

“There are some political parties that had interpreters during the campaign period, but now in office during engagements they do not accommodate people living with impairments,”
Chimhini noted, adding that appointment of only two senate representatives for people with disability was a sham because they cannot adequately represent 15% of the population.

“Two individuals who purport to represent this special group are not chosen by the disabled and they are too few to represent 15% of the population,” she said.

Nayo programmes manager MacDonald Munyoro said young people with impairments cannot actively participate in politics because they were being excluded.

“When most of these councillors or MPs conduct their consultations through the parliamentary portfolio committees, they are not disability inclusive. In their consultations, they do not have sign language, they do not have braille. Some of the venues where they hold their meetings are actually not even accessible. And this always keeps away persons with disabilities,” he said.

Munyoro said in the consultations they held in all the 10 provinces, young PLWIs bemoaned unequal opportunities as the major reason for their limited participation.

“One of the biggest issues that came from the young people with disability was the need for inclusion. And as part of inclusion one thing that they raised the most was the need for opportunities. Opportunities that are the same and similar to any child who is out there who is able-bodied,” he said.

THE cost of staple food commodities mealie-meal and bread are set to skyrocket after Finance minister Mthuli Ncube cut subsidies for grain imports in his 2020 national budget, despite maintaining support for the discredited Command Agriculture scheme.

BUDGET STORIES By Alfonce Mbizwo / Fidelity Mhlanga / Moses Matenga / Tafadzwa Mhlanga

Ncube wants the government-owned Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and grain millers in the country to source their own foreign currency to import grain for resale at market prices, a move seen as putting pressure on salaries already lagging behind the cost of living and runaway inflation, which analysts say was around 353% as of September.

“Government will, with effect from January 2020, remove the existing grain marketing subsidies for maize and wheat, which were being provided to grain millers through the Grain Marketing Board,” Ncube told Parliament while presenting the budget yesterday.

“The intervention will see GMB selling wheat and maize at market prices, with grain millers having an option to either import or purchase grain from GMB. This means the prices of basic commodities such as bread and mealie-meal may adjust.”

After a poor 2018-19 rainy season, at least six million people need food assistance in rural areas and an additional 2,2 million in urban areas, according to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee reports.

Ncube said the State would maintain support for its Zupco public transporter and the controversial Command Agriculture programme, which is currently being probed by a parliamentary committee over unaccounted US$3 billion in public funds.

Since 2016, Zimbabwe has been in the throes of foreign currency shortages and the setting up of the interbank market in February failed to address the shortage because of the disparity between the official exchange rate and the verdant black market.

The southern African nation is in the throes of its worst economic crisis in a decade with biting shortages of foreign currency, medicines, fuel and rolling power cuts that last up to 20 hours a day.

Since replacing the late Robert Mugabe in 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has struggled to contain the crisis or convince Zimbabweans that the latest economic reforms championed by the Oxford University-trained Ncube would work.

The new prices would reshape “demand patterns in the effective and efficient use of scarce resources in the economy,” Ncube said.

To provide some relief to workers, Ncube raised non-taxable monthly income to $2 000 from $700 from January 1, next year.

The majority of government workers, who earn a minimum salary of $1 023 per month would not pay tax.

Ncube also increased the tax-free portion on bonus payments from $1 000 to $5 000 with effect from November 1 this year.

Non-taxable portion of the retrenchment package is now $50 000 from $10 000 or one-third of the total package to a maximum of $80 000.

Also, from January next year, Ncube plans to cut Value-Added Tax (VAT) from 15% to 14,5% to stimulate consumer demand after telling Parliament that the economy would shrink by 6,5% this year before recovering by 3% next year.

He also said he would lower corporate tax to 24% from 25%, while the country’s budget deficit would narrow to 1,5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 from 4% of GDP this year if government keeps a lid on its spending.

Ncube said he expects to collect $58,6 billion revenue, while expenditure is seen at $63,6 billion despite government departments demanding $136 billion.

The biggest budget vote at $8,5 billion was for the Primary and Secondary Education ministry followed by the Ministry of Health which will get $6,5 billion.

The Defence and War Veterans ministry was allocated $3,11 billion and Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage ($2,8 billion), while Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development will get $2,2 billion.

The Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry will get $2,4 billion; Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement ($1,9 billion); Mines and Mining Development ($293,2 million) and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services ($709 million).

The Industry and Commerce ministry was allocated $368 million, while the Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality ministry will receive $291 million and ICT ($341,7 million).

MANY local authorities in Zimbabwe are using archaic laws and municipal by-laws that do not take into account the changing business environment and globalisation, a situation that has made it difficult for industry to flourish.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

Addressing delegates at the ongoing Local Government Investment Conference being held in Bulawayo, Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries Matabeleland chapter president Shepherd Chawira said there were various impediments to ease-of-doing business initiatives in the local authorities.

“… many local authorities in Zimbabwe are operating under archaic laws and municipal by-laws that do not take into account the changing business environment, and globalisation. Over a period of time, many obstacles that comprise high taxes and rates, long registration and licensing processes and policy adjustments, has continuously been the order of the day in both urban and rural local authorities in Zimbabwe,” Chawira said.

“These issues have further portrayed the Zimbabwean local governance in a bad picture, as the local authorities are viewed as regulating for revenue and not for business growth, creating a perception of local authorities not being favourable to support business growth.”

Chawira said, as such, local authority regulations that create a conducive environment for business are pivotal in promoting local economic development.

He said economic development thrives in an environment where there is co-operation between government, business and labour.

“With the talk of devolution, provincial and local authorities should position themselves, through ease-of-doing business reforms, to attract investments into their areas of jurisdiction. Business would want to set up operations in areas that make them more viable and competitive. This is true, not only at national level, but at local level as well,” the CZI regional boss said.

Chawira recommended that on devolution, the initial focus of provincial and local authorities, should be to grow their economies.

“With industry at 30% capacity utilisation, surely the strategy should be to grow this number and attract new investments, thereby increasing the revenue base. This, therefore, means that provincial and local authorities should regulate for growth of their economies and not revenue generation as their major focus,” he said, adding that increased investments in the local area would lead to local economic development and more for the authority.

Chawira called upon local authorities to involve local stakeholders in local economic development of strategies and planning to ensure that there is input by all stakeholders in policy formulation.

He challenged local authorities to come up with conducive investment environments.

“What brings investment is a conducive environment. Provincial authorities should be responsive to the needs of business and industry,” Chawira said.

Speaking at the same event, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Matabeleland chapter chairperson Brighton Ncube said industry was being weighed down by energy challenges.

“Companies are currently running production on generators — nine hours on a daily basis, which translates to 150 litres per day, 750 litres per week and 3 165 litres of diesel per month. To put it in monetary value, running a generator costs around $53 805 per month,” he said.

Ncube said production had been significantly affected by unavailability of affordable fuel and electricity outages.

He said corruption was rampant within city councils, especially on acquiring land for commercial and residential purposes.

“Billing is not speaking to what is on the ground, those not receiving utilities are being billed. Parking marshals’ approach is dreary for business and it is a concern for business,” Ncube said.

THE opposition MDC yesterday continued with its protests against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s legitimacy and snubbed the 2020 national budget presentation over his presence in Parliament.

BY MOSES MATENGA/JAIROS SAUNYAMA

All the MDC MPs were in no-show during Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s budget presentation, with party national chairperson Tabitha Khumalo telling NewsDay that they were all attending funerals of two party cadres who perished in an accident.

“All roads are leading to Chivhu now after burying our hero in Marondera. We have no control over the funeral programmes and our heroes deserve a befitting send-off,” she said.

“There is no way we can cancel the funeral over Parliament. We are burying our heroes.”
Speaking during the burial of Marondera MDC branch chairperson, Paul Chikuni, at Paradise Cemetery, the opposition party’s deputy national organising secretary Sibusisiwe Masara said:

“We are here to bury our own brave cadres like Chikuni. We are not bothered about attending today’s budget meeting at Parliament. Why do we attend a budget when we know there is no money?

We are not going to attend that meeting.”

Close to 40 top MDC leaders, including legislators and senators led by the party acting president Lynette Karenyi-Kore, attended the burial.

Chikuni (34) died on Sunday night in a car accident in Ruwa while driving from an aborted Mabvuku rally.

The rally was banned at the last minute.

Another activist, Admire Takawira, also died, while Moore Maradza escaped unscathed.

MDC secretary-general Chalton Hwende said his party’s MPs participated in the budget processes and would also take part in the debate process despite a no-show in Parliament.

“Our MPs have already participated fully in the budget process. We are now waiting for the debate in Parliament. Today’s budget presentation does not change anything. Attending and following on TV is exactly the same. No debate is allowed or conducted today. It’s all optics for ED,” he said on micro blogging site, Twitter.

Before and during the budget presentation, police and the military sealed off the Africa Unity Square, where Zanu PF supporters sang and chanted revolutionary slogans for the better of the day.

There were running battles with police arresting some youths suspected to be MDC supporters.

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda threatened to act on MDC MPs for boycotting Parliament, with Norton MP Temba Mliswa calling for authorities to whip the opposition legislators for their actions.

Ironically, the opposition MPs participated in the budget consultative meetings, including the controversial Victoria Falls jamboree which saw them pocketing huge amounts of money ahead of today’s presentation.

Ncube described the budget as people-centred and introduced a raft of measures that seemed to respond to the prevailing economic crisis.

IT is disturbing to note the current developments in MDC Alliance whereby the internally organised violence is perpetually shifting away from the founding values of the party. The unrest brought by the youths in the form of claiming unconstitutional power and unfounded authority should not be tolerated.

Senator James Makore

The youths have no mandate to stop a member of the executive from entering any MDC offices for any reason. That is not within their jurisdiction. They are entitled to make recommendations to the national executive, which is an administrative body of the party and ultimately to the national council.

We are aware that some are ignorant of their role and function as organs of the party. The youths and women structures were for mobilisation and organising people. These structures are not independent and uncontrolled as they might appear to be. They report all their activities to the national executive for approval before implementation .

What they have done is gross indiscipline.

It was not within their jurisdiction to brew an idea and implement. Their resolution, if any, had to be subjected to a procedural process to avoid the rule of the jungle, as is the case now.

In the meantime, the youths are not doing the party any good other than tarnishing the image of the institution. The MDC should be known for its values: Freedom, democracy, equality, fairness, justice, unity, solidarity, accountability, transparency and non-discrimination.

No one, other than labour, brought a cent to the formation of the MDC; for that reason it is a right for any one to contest for any position in the party without being intimidated by anyone.
As shown above, the MDC is a social democratic party different from a nationalist, communist party such as Zanu PF and the Chinese Communist Party and their sister parties in Russia and Cuba.
No one owns this party and no one is qualified to dictate a position to anyone other than the congress of the people, for the people by the people.

Senator Douglas Togarasei Mwonzora should enjoy similar rights as a full member of this party. Since its inception and from his trade union days he has been able to contest for any position of his choice when the time of contestation came and no one should begrudge him for that.

If he commits a crime, disciplinary procedures should be applied like is common to everyone. It is very annoying to entrench hateful behaviour for greed of power as we are now witnessing in the party.

After all, not even one of these people could be associated to the late Morgan Tsvangirai, a founding member of the MDC, they all joined the party. It’s high time people should show maturity, cultivate confidence from the people that they could run a government in future.

This kind of violence is self defeating. Matters should be solved amicably, without emotions and with full regards to respecting each other.

Stop violence and be respectful. A continuation of violence against fellow senior party members will invite embargoes on the party by various organisations, not only in the Sadc region, but Africa as a whole and beyond.