Online Reporter
THE recently concluded pre-budget seminar in Bulawayo served as a vital national conversation.
It was a democratic gathering where voices of parliamentarians, civil society and ordinary citizens coalesced into a clear and urgent message for Treasury.
The theme, “Enhancing Drivers of Economic Growth and Transformation Towards Vision 2030”, is ambitious, yet the path to achieving it was laid out in starkly practical terms.
The discourse moved beyond mere wish lists to pinpoint the fundamental flaw in our fiscal governance: the chasm between parliamentary appropriation and actual disbursement.
For the 2026 National Budget to be anything more than a theoretical exercise, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion must heed this call and transform it into a binding commitment to timeliness, transparency and full funding.
The most resonant and constitutionally grave concern raised was articulated by none other than the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda.
His challenge to Treasury cannot be overstated or ignored.
He identified the “persistent and vexing dichotomy” between what Parliament appropriates and what Treasury disburses as a “fundamental breach of constitutional expectations”.
This is not political grandstanding; it is a factual description of a systemic failure that cripples service delivery and erodes public trust.
When Parliament, the supreme legislative body representing the will of the people, passes a budget into law, it becomes the Appropriation Act — a legal and constitutional mandate.
For Treasury to unilaterally and erratically disburse funds is to effectively nullify an Act of Parliament, rendering the entire budget process a hollow ritual.
The consequences of this “incongruence” are felt in every clinic without medicines, every school without textbooks and farmers expecting to be paid their dues on time.
It undermines the credibility of our fiscal system and, as Adv Mudenda rightly noted, “eviscerates Parliament’s oversight role.”
How can committees hold ministries accountable for failed programmes when the requisite funds were never released?
This practice not only stalls development but actively fosters a culture of impunity and inefficiency.
The 2026 Budget must, therefore, be accompanied by a publicly available, quarterly disbursement schedule.
Treasury must be held accountable to Parliament for any deviations, with clear and justified explanations for any delays.
Alignment between appropriations and disbursements is, as the Speaker declared, “a constitutional imperative”, not an administrative courtesy.
Beyond this foundational issue of fiscal discipline, the seminar highlighted critical, actionable recommendations that must form the core of the 2026 Budget.
The stability of the ZimGold (ZiG) currency is a commendable achievement, but it is undermined by its limited circulation.
The public outcry over the rejection of ZiG, especially in the southern parts of the country, demands a decisive policy response.
The Budget must allocate resources for a massive and sustained injection of ZiG into the economy, alongside a public awareness campaign and “stiff penalties” for businesses that refuse the local currency.
A currency cannot gain trust if it is not physically present and universally accepted.
Similarly, the agriculture sector, the bedrock of our economy and food security, requires more than promises.
Calls for timely payments to farmers by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and Cottco are not new, yet they remain unfulfilled.
Funding these initiatives and ensuring the money is released on time would demonstrate a genuine commitment to transforming our agriculture from a subsistence-based activity to a commercially viable and climate-resilient sector.
The same principle applies to energy and social protection.
The proposal to harness public-private partnerships for hydro and solar power, and to offer competitive feed-in tariffs, is a market-savvy approach to solving our chronic power shortages.
Classifying power supply to schools and hospitals as a social service is a necessary step towards safeguarding human development.
Furthermore, the push for a significant salary increase for civil servants and enhanced pensions is not merely an expense; it is an investment in halting the debilitating brain drain that has crippled our health and education sectors.
A motivated and fairly compensated workforce is a prerequisite for achieving any of the goals outlined in the National Development Strategy.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube rightly pointed out the need for revenue, proposing a fiscal adjustment to maintain balance.
However, revenue generation cannot be the sole focus.
The credibility of any tax proposal hinges on the public’s belief that their money is being used effectively and as promised. By implementing the key recommendations from the pre-budget seminar — particularly the full and timely disbursement of funds —Treasury can rebuild this trust.
The 2026 Budget presents a critical juncture. It can be another document of lofty ambitions undermined by poor execution, or it can be the Budget that signalled a new era of fiscal integrity.
The people have spoken through their representatives. The blueprint for a pro-poor, transparent and effective budget is on the table. The onus is now on the Treasury to listen, to learn and, most importantly, to disburse.
Our collective journey towards Vision 2030 depends on it.
