Security and defence gobble up half the budget as elections approach

By Lance Guma
07 September 2007

Budget presentations in Zimbabwe have always been stale, drawn out affairs full of hype and rhetoric, but offering nothing new. On Thursday Finance Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi went through the motions to present a supplementary budget critics say exceeds the original by almost 800 percent. As if that was not shocking enough, defence and security institutions have gobbled up almost half a budget whose revenue was never disclosed. MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti was scathing in his comments saying, ‘Some men are gifted enough to hide their mediocrity or at least to hide the mediocrity of their work. But alas, the talentless Minister of Finance possesses neither attribute.’

Biti argues the budget betrays a fundamental lack of elementary understanding of the ‘nuts and bolts of economics’ and is more motivated by a desire to cling to power than anything. With the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) struggling for resources to provide adequate water for people the President's Office, which the CIO falls under, and the Ministry of Defence and Home Affairs, got a staggering Z$12,662 trillion, 33 percent of the supplementary budget. Biti says if slush funds allocated to the same security institutions are added up, then 43 percent of the budget is going towards financing the security apparatus.

Biti says the very appointment of Mumbengegwi, ‘as a replacement of the affable and whisky-loving Hebert Murerwa is a reflection that Robert Mugabe does not give a hoot about basic economic housekeeping fundamentals.’ He expressed disappointment that the budget was not grounded around a policy framework, but simply thrown together to ensure the ‘power retention agenda’ of Zanu PF. He believes state resources are being used to ‘maintain and reproduce power.’

Analysts see the regime relying only on the printing of money to buy time, but as Biti concludes, ‘Clearly the task at hand is beyond the chubby and overfed fellows at number 80 Samora Machel Avenue in Harare and at Munhumutapa building (Mugabe’s office) in the same street.’ This he says is why the opposition believes only a political solution based on a new, people driven Constitution and free and fair elections in Zimbabwe is the only viable solution.