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Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa allocated more to Home Affairs, Defence, Security and War Veterans than Health and Child Care as Mnangagwa consolidates power
After repeatedly warning Zimbabweans that the removal of Mugabe is not a reason to celebrate as all we have so far managed to do is to remove a 94 year old despot and replace him with Mnangagwa, a man who adores Mugabe, calls him a father, mentor and someone he will always seek advice from, the budget delivered by Chinamasa to Cabinet has vindicated me as he issued Home Affairs and Culture US$435 million,Defence, Security and War Veterans US$420 million, and sadly only US$409 million to the critical Health and Child Care ministry.
To the Discerning eye newzimbabwevision, the ongoing events starting from Mnagagwa electing to reward Mugabe with a US$10million golden hand shake demonstrated that the new president would deliver to the gullible Zimbabweans, a ‘securocratic budget’.
We see the disconcerting developments starting with the fact that the budget allocation to the President Mnangagwa’s Office has increased sharply by US$56 million more than under Mugabe.
It is suspected that this massive budget allocation will cater for , the deposed former president Robert Mugabe’s US$10 million exit package, and former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko’s golden hand shake as laid out in the new Zimbabwe constitution.
Linked to this huge budget allocation is the ruthless spy agency, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), which is catered for by the President’s office budget , a budget that is not audited by the state and whose use of funds is not accounted for.
The former CIO Director-general, Rtd Gen Happyton Bonyongwe , a man who was in that department for over a decade before serving just three months as Justice minister is expected to draw from the same budget along with several other operatives in line for retirement in 2018.
In a shocking development, Zimbabwe’s Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa allocated US$232 million to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) which is way above his predecessor Mugabe’s budget for the same Office last year, totalling US$176 million.
Zimbabwe’s former Finance minister, Tendai Biti (PDP) has warned that the alarmingly high payout to Mugabe will raise the nation’s budget deficit, more than the 15 percent of 2017 to at least 18 percent of GDP in 2018 and consolidate President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s power with his high Defence and Home Affairs budgets.
Austerity and Service Delivery have totally been ignored in budget allocation thereby ignoring the people’s plight. Zimbabwe will continue to be burdened by struggling services such as health , education, housing, water reticulation, transport, electricity and employment amongst other issues directly affecting the welfare of the ordinary street person.
I therefore encourage Zimbabweans not to lose their guard. We must push for real change including the opening up of rural areas to activist and opposition voter education and campaigns.
External votes by Diasapora Zimbabweans must be accepted as we have approximately 6 million Zimbabweans in the Disapora.
These are people who are mainly out there because of Zimbabwe’s crisis created by Mugabe and many now have children who are old enough to vote. The millions in the diaspora are a real game changer and must be allowed to do external votes for us to return the country from military rule to the people.
Currently, charges of publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the state as defined in Section 31 (a) (iii) of the Criminal (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9.23 or alternatively causing disaffection among the police force or defence forces as defined in section 30 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act can be used against most online activists for their efforts to unseat the despot, destroy Zanu pf and awakening of the nation about the new President Mnangagwa.
The Zanu pf system they created remains and will be used against one when needed. Draconian laws including AIPPA, POSA and other oppressive measures blocking opposition and activists access to Zanu pf dominated places such as rural areas are still in places. Unless and until Mnangagwa, Zanu pf stalwarts and securocrats fall,..we are looking at the same if not a worse Zanu pf regime because of the real and impending risk to our freedom, safety, future, unity and peace,. Mnangagwa wouldn’t rush to work on removing these.
People must go out in full force in Zimbabwe and do the BVR voter registration in preparation for 2018 as we only have one shot at unseating the oppressive Zanu pf and Mnagagwa from power.
photo-Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa