Zimbabwe: Doctors Demand Government to Provide Inventory of Cancer Machines, Drugs Bought From U.S.$30.8 Million Raised Through Sugar Tax

16 December 2024
New Zimbabwe (London)

THE Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has challenged government to provide an acquittal of how it expended money derived from the recently introduced sugar tax.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration reportedly collected a staggering US$30.8 million of special surtax on sugar content in beverages ostensibly to raise funds to buy critical cancer management machines in public hospitals.

In a letter, ZADHR demanded to know how Treasury led by Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube and permanent secretary George Guvamatanga used the money.

In its letter, which was written on November 21, 2024 to Treasury, ZADHR, which was represented by human rights lawyer, Precious Chakasikwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights asked Ncube's ministry to provide it with an account of how much special surtax on sugar content in beverages had been collected from February 9, 2024, when government gazetted the Customs and Excise (Tariff) (Amendment) Notice, 2024 (No. 5), which was published in Statutory Instrument 16 of 2024.ZADHR also requested the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion to furnish it with an account of which cancer drugs and equipment had been procured since the introduction of the sugar tax and the list of hospitals to which these had been distributed to.

The ZLHR doctor's association made the request for access to the information in terms of the provisions of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act and its request was aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

In response to ZADHR's letter, Guvamatanga on Friday December 13, 2024, disclosed that US$30.8 million of special surtax on sugar content in beverages has been collected as of November 2024.

Guvamatanga, however, told ZADHR that the procurement of drugs and medical equipment is done under the purview of the Ministry of Health and Child Care and referred the doctors' association to the responsible minister, Douglas Mombeshora, saying his ministry is not a competent authority to give information about such a request.

In February 2024, government introduced a levy on sugary beverages claiming that this was aimed at discouraging people from consuming too much sugar, which it blamed for causing some forms of cancer.

Ncube justified the introduction of the sugar tax as a response to growing concerns on the adverse effects of consumption of sugar.

Read the original article on New Zimbabwe.

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