HARARE – Zimbabwe’s 2025 National Budget, set to be unveiled this Thursday, is highly anticipated amidst widespread extreme poverty, particularly affecting the country’s vulnerable groups.
During a pre-budget seminar in Bulawayo, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda underscored the need for equitable development to combat inequality and poverty in both urban and rural areas.
“The scourge of extreme poverty must be killed by empowering the vulnerable such as the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, and those with chronic illnesses,” Mudenda said.
Citing former South African President Nelson Mandela’s address at the Make Poverty History Rally in 2005, he added, “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made, and it can be removed by the actions of human beings. National Budgets must reflect our commitment to ending poverty and inequality.”
Mudenda called for a transformative approach to national development, urging a return to values of Ubuntu and a shift in mindset towards inclusive infrastructural growth.
“We have lost Ubuntu. Let us embrace a new infrastructural approach to development and a change in the physical approach of our mindset,” he said.
The Speaker highlighted the importance of ensuring local communities benefit from resources extracted within their boundaries, criticising foreign companies that exploit Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth without adequately contributing to local development.
“What remains in most areas, such as Mutoko, are gaping holes. People must benefit from the local resources. Make sure and ensure that happens,” Mudenda told parliamentarians, encouraging them to use their legislative powers to hold lawbreakers accountable.
Mudenda further emphasised that national budgets should reflect the aspirations and needs of citizens, quoting a Nigerian official’s remarks from the 2021 Nigeria Economic Summit:
“A budget is a statement of our priorities. It should reflect our commitment to transforming the lives of our people through investment in agriculture, education, and health.”
He also drew from the 2021 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, stressing that “sound budgeting is essential for economic growth and stability. It lays the groundwork for accountable governance and sustainable development.”
Mudenda urged the State to prioritise rapid and equitable development by promoting private initiatives and self-reliance, ensuring that all future budgets address the needs of local communities without fail.
The upcoming budget announcement is expected to reveal how the government plans to tackle these pressing issues and foster sustainable development for Zimbabwe’s citizens.