Executive to engage Parliament on supplementary budget

Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE Executive arm of the Government will soon engage the Parliament of Zimbabwe for a supplementary budget consideration in order to fund national needs following the economic effects that have been brought by the outbreak of Covid-19.

This was revealed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda during a Liaison and Co-ordination Committee Retreat in Bulawayo on Friday. The retreat, whose major objective was to review the performance of Parliamentary Committees during the first session of the Ninth Parliament ends today.

“It is no secret that Zimbabwe, like the rest of the world, is facing a protracted and deepening crisis owing to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which has created a worldwide unprecedented health crisis and stifled economic growth. The nation looks to us as Members of Parliament to address the challenges in close liaison with the Executive so that we are able to respond robustly to the multifaceted impact of the pandemic. The Executive may soon engage Parliament for a supplementary budget consideration in order to fund the national needs predicated upon the socio-economic impact of the pandemic,” said Adv Mudenda.

He said various committees of Parliament should be prepared to address mitigatory measures that call for innovative curtailing of the devastating consequences of the pandemic including the use of indigenous knowledge systems that may lead to the discovery of a vaccine for Covid-19.

He also said Members of Parliament are expected to call for accountability on donated financial and material resources in the spirit of transparency and responsible governance as called for by President Mnangagwa. Adv Mudenda told the meeting that it was of great importance to report back on activities of the various portfolio committees timeously.

“Allow me to stress the criticality of reporting timeously on all committee business and activities. The judicious discharge of this reporting responsibility allows for the Liaison and Co-ordination Committee to continually monitor and evaluate qualitatively the progress of the committees in carrying out their constitutional mandate. However, it is lamentable that several committees have not adhered to the timelines that guide reporting after conducting committee business,” he said.

Adv Mudenda took a swipe at ministries and other public entities who do not submit monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports to their respective Portfolio Committees.

“These reports must follow the guidelines clearly outlined in the Quarterly Budget Performance Reporting Guidelines designed by Parliament with technical assistance from our esteemed partners. It is, however, sad to note that ministries do not comply with these constitutional and statutory obligations. During the 2019 fiscal year, only 50 percent of the ministries furnished the Portfolio Committees with their quarterly reports,” he said.