5 July 2017

Zimbabwe: Unruly Ministers, Not Mugabe, Responsible for Economic Crisis - Zanu-PF MP

A senior Zanu PF legislator has blamed ministers for the country's never-ending economic crisis, claiming the cabinet was sabotaging and defying President Robert Mugabe on policy implementation.

Addressing policy dialogue in the capital last week, Zanu PF Mutoko South legislator cited the cabinet discord implementation of the government's indigenisation programme which saw public rows between finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and empowerment counterpart Patrick Zhuwao.

The MP, who also chairs Parliament's finance portfolio committee, said such rows adversely impacted the country's ability to attract investment.

"Our major challenge is the issue of policy inconsistence," he said.

"For instance, we have the indigenisation policy and ministers have been speaking in riddles or, if in church we say in tongues, with each one speaking to him or herself on the same legislation until the President said cease fire, and he went on to try and unpack it and it is now clear

"... but following that unpacking by the President the law is yet to be implemented because it has to be sponsored by the responsible minister who the President appointed, but it's yet to be taken back to parliament."

The former deputy finance minister said volumes of good economic policies were gathering dust in President Mugabe's office as minister continue to defy the aged leader. Mugabe turned 93 this year.

"The President's office has piles and piles of good economic blue prints and I can tell you this authoritatively because I have been in the ministry of finance," he said.

"Other countries like Botswana are taking and implementing (these policies) and creating wonders out of them.

"We are not starved of manpower and or knowledge. We have the highest number of literacy rate; our major challenge is that of implementation."

Chapfika said the same has problems have also affected the country's social services.

"We have the best infrastructure, be they schools and hospitals, but what is missing now is the quality of what is there.

"The nurses who are not being paid and it is the resources in those clinics and schools which are lacking," said the legislator.

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