Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]
COMMUNITIES in the Matabeleland region called for the Government to prioritise funding for crucial infrastructure projects in the 2025 National Budget during a budget consultative meeting held in Bulawayo yesterday.
Residents specifically reiterated the urgent need for improved water and road infrastructure and expanded social protection measures.
These calls come when persistent droughts, worsened by the El Niño weather phenomenon, exacerbate the region’s critical water challenges.
In response to these concerns, a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion is conducting countrywide consultations with citizens to gather input for the 2025 National Budget.
The committee, which has already visited Binga, Lupane, Bulilima and Bulawayo, plans to stop in Bubi, Matabeleland North, today, and Gwanda tomorrow.
According to committee chairperson, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, communities in the region have consistently emphasised the need for improved infrastructure and services, with a particular focus on water provision.
“What we have discovered mostly in Matabeleland is that the major issue is water. This is a dry region and in Binga they want the issue of water challenges and roads to be addressed,” he said.
“We took five hours to get to Binga (from Bulawayo). People in Binga also want to benefit from the Gwayi-Tshangani Dam. They said the water should reach remote areas in Binga for irrigation.”
The focus in Bulawayo was also the water crisis and road infrastructure.
“The electricity issue is cross-cutting, but water is the most pressing concern. Similar concerns were raised in Plumtree, where water shortage was a key topic of discussion,” said Cde Nguluvhe.
While communities around Zimbabwe have applauded the Government for its food relief programme, they are calling for more attention to focus on the country’s dire water and sanitation situation.
The Government has announced plans for public-private partnerships to build vital roads, such as the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway, but people are eager for more immediate action.
Bulawayo residents, in particular, are urging the Government to expedite completion of Lake Gwayi-Tshangani. The dam is 70 percent complete.
The community is hopeful that the completion of the dam will finally resolve the city’s chronic water shortages.
“My appeal is that the Treasury should allocate adequate funds in its budget for the completion of the project, said a resident.”
Bulawayo North legislator, Ms Minenhle Gumede, who chairs the Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, said residents also called for more funding for health and education.
“They said the percentages budgeted for those two sectors are a bit low. They said they know and are aware that 15 percent of the budget needs to go to health in line with the Abuja Declaration, while 20 percent should be allocated to education as we are signatories of the Dakar Agreement,” she said.
Ms Gumede said residents also raised concerns about Treasury’s delay in releasing Basic Education Assisted Module (BEAM) funds to support vulnerable learners.
She said higher and tertiary education has increasingly become expensive for the citizens, and people implored the Government to adopt some interventions.
Students with disabilities, in particular, reported that some of their peers had been forced to defer their studies due to the Department of Social Development’s failure to cover their fees.
A National University of Science and Technology (Nust) student, Mr Matthias Nyamande, said rising fees was making education unaffordable for a lot of families.
“It’s disheartening to start a programme with some students and see them failing to finish due to financial constraints. Most of our parents can no longer afford to pay fees because of low wages,” he said.
Cde Nguluvhe encouraged Matabeleland communities to actively participate in the budget process to ensure that their concerns are captured.
“I know many in Matabeleland feel marginalised, but for their issues to be addressed, they must engage in these consultations. Parliament is simply following the Constitution, which requires the minister to consult before presenting the budget,” he said.
The committee will compile the feedback from citizens and submit it for incorporation into the National Budget.-@nqotshili
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