Mthuli Ncube must address critical issues

NEXT week, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube returns to Parliament to review his 2021 spending plan — a blueprint that he presented in November 2020.

The National Budget, worth $421,6 billion, was already higher than projected revenues of $390 billion, which means Zimbabwe started the year at a huge disadvantage, with a huge deficit.

But given developments that have taken place so far, including a 40% rise in prices last month and a bloodbath on the job market where more than 500 000 people lost employment to the COVID-19 pandemic alone (according to World Bank estimates), the economic situation has gotten worse.

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