MBIZO legislator Corban Madzivanyika has accused the government of not valuing the input of citizens into the national budget made during consultations calling on people to demand the full implementation of the budget reflecting their contributions during consultations.
Madzivanyika made the remarks on Wednesday during a virtual discussion organised by Bubi Community Parliament where he was a guest speaker together with former legislator and economist Tapiwa Mashakada.
The discussion was held under the topic, The 2025 National Budget Consultations: What input should come from the community?’
He told the Community Parliament that the budget speaks to issues of proposed revenue that will be collected per year and how the money will be spent in that year.
“It is important that when the country is setting the stage for spending government resources it must consult on a national-wide scale.
“To consult citizens on how they view the budget or what is called the citizens budget, we should get the views across the latitude and longitude of this country on what their priorities are in terms of government spending.
“So it is important to consult, that is number one. Number two the question is will the government take it seriously? That is another issue now.
“In my own understanding, government does not take it seriously because for the previous years these consultations have been taking place over and over, but you realise that the allocations made by the minister during announcement of the budget will be inconsistent with what people will have said.”
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Madzivanyika said the consultations were just rubber stamping government’s intention.
He called on Bubi villagers to attend budget consultation meetings and voice their concerns with regards to budget allocations.
“The biggest or best budget on earth is a budget that considers issues of social protection, health and education. You will realise that the issue of education is the best equaliser in the sense that someone comes from a poor family in Bubi and goes to a vocational training centre or college and obtains a diploma in electrical engineering,” Madzivanyika said.
“That person is now able to work both locally and internationally. That person can get a job in South Africa or in Zimbabwe and can change their lives from being poor people to middle-income people.
“It is important for government to prioritise education. We should increase funds provided for free education to ensure that for education at higher institutions people get grants to go to school to improve their lives.”
Madzivanyika said there was also a need to prioritise the health budget.
“We cannot talk of defence, transport and many others before we look at this fundamental issue of health. Look at the state of our hospitals, there is no medicine, the infrastructure is bad, you cannot get a single blanket, no good food, everything is bad and doctors have deserted us,” he said.
“They have gone to work in South Africa, some to the United Kingdom and many other countries. This is a serious cause for concern. So as you go and deliberate on the issue of this kind of budget consultation, go and make sure that you prioritise on the issue of health as well.”
Mashakada said the Bubi community should generate their own input into the budget.
“The people of Bubi must generate their own input into the budget. I cannot tell you what you want. You need water, you need health, you need roads, you need education.
“You must really tell the MPs what you require in terms of development for your area. No one will come and tell you what your economic concerns are,” Mashakada said.
Government will from September 30 start conducting 2025 budget consultations across Zimbabwe to gather views on what people want prioritised in the budget.
