Women in Agriculture and Inequality in Zimbabwe

By Tinashe Madondo

Women play a critical role in agricultural production especially in the rural economies of developing countries. In the developing world, agriculture accounts for about 63% of the total female employment in Sub-Sahara Africa and Asia (Fontana and Paciello, 2000). Rural women contribute largely to the attainment of national food security producing more than half of the food grown worldwide. In Sub-Sahara Africa, this figure is higher with women contributing 60% to 80% of the labour in food production both for household consumption and for sale (Kabeer, 1994). They multi task to sustain their livelihoods, working on the farms and engaging in off- farm activities, as well as continuing their critical role in terms of reproduction.

Nevertheless, instead of getting full recognition, rural women are often viewed as playing a “helping hand” role rather than as a “farmer” or “employee” in their own right. An example of such is illustrated by Article 139 of the Labour Code of Guatemala (2011), which describes women as “helpers” of the male agricultural workers, rather than as a worker entitled to receive their own income which significantly impacts upon the ability of these women to feed themselves and their families.

Women employ different strategies to compensate for the loss of labour through the migration of their husbands and young men to towns and cities in search of employment. As such, they may organize labour exchanges with other women, work longer hours, and hire additional labour. Such strategies adopted by these women help them cope with agricultural production which is the main source of nutrition. The surplus is usually sold to cater for medical bills, provision of education and purchase of farm implements.

How then does inequality manifest?

Inequality manifests when the man controls the property and money realised from the sale of surplus produce despite him having little contribution to the produce. This is mainly due to the cultural norms and values of societies which place men and women at different power levels. In patriarchal societies, women lack independent rights to land as land rights are only accorded to men, either sons or husbands. In some African countries, women are rarely allocated land in their own right, particularly in patrilineal areas, where land is allocated to men as the heads of households. Women in matrilineal societies on the other hand are allocated land in their own right, but the land is still commonly controlled by their husbands or male clan heads (Food Agriculture Organisation – FAO, 2009). Men are the ones who have full ownership of property and any valuable goods in the household belong to the head of the household. In the event of death of the household head, land or property rights are not inherited by the surviving spouse but a son who automatically assumes the role of head of household. The rules of access and inheritance tend to perpetuate inequality as they generally tend to favour men over women and women with children over those without (Mutangadura 2004).

In addition to limited access to land, women face challenges of access to inputs and credit facilities (capital/money). Collateral security which includes land or production equipment, seems to be one of the major factors constraining women’s access to agricultural inputs. According to (FAO, 2005), women’s higher illiteracy rates, lack of information about available credit programmes, lack of land titles to be offered as collateral, more limited access to formal employment, and exclusion from credit cooperatives also contribute as stumbling blocks for women’s access to credit facilities. The inequalities are also notable in the Land Reform Programme where the allocation of A1 farms was done through the issuance of user permits by the District Administrator upon recommendations from the Village Head or local councillor who were mainly biased towards men’s land rights over those of women, (Manjengwa and Mazhawidza). Thus, in the A1 model, women only obtained rights to use the land but were not given permits because the system favoured men. Under the A2 model, a cocktail of conditions perpetuated inequality as one had to demonstrate ability to fund own operations on the farm, provide proof of capacity to utilize land and hire a farm manager and be a holder of a 99-year lease (Rukini, 1992). Such a model discriminated women as only 13-22% of women benefited countrywide.

The effect of gender inequality on agricultural growth and development cannot be over emphasised, hence, the need to set up sustainable and inclusive mechanisms that empower and raise awareness amongst women. Against this backdrop, it is therefore prudent for society and institutions to embrace equality and equity tendencies for agricultural output and economic growth.

Income inequality – The principal driver of educational disparities in Zimbabwe

By Angellah Mandoreba

The deep inequalities that exist between the rich and poor continue to rage across the globe and have become a cause for concern for the majority of citizens. These inequalities in their different forms and manifestations are driven by a myriad of factors depending on the context in which they exist. Key drivers of inequality range from political, social, economic and even environmental whose influence rests upon the country’s developmental status and policy processes. This short piece seeks to establish how income inequality promotes educational inequalities in Zimbabwe. Income inequality is one of the critical measures to understand the discrepancies between individuals in a given society but it can be best understood when it is linked to how it promotes other inequalities like those in education. Income inequality refers to the gap between individuals and households in terms of their disposable incomes resulting in income induced social stratification. Educational inequalities can be understood as the disparities in terms of access to quality education and those disparities are fuelled by several factors including parents’ level of education and their socioeconomic status, gender, race and religion.

Education inequalities in Zimbabwe are not a new phenomenon rather they have roots in the historic racial segregation that dominated the pre-independence era when the education system was designed on racial grounds with the African mind being at the receiving end. Nevertheless, in as far as the post-independence government directed efforts towards an inclusive and equal education system in the country, it’s not yet “Uhuru” for the sector. In contemporary Zimbabwe, it’s no longer race influencing educational disparities but a number of factors chief among them, family income inequality. The educational inequalities in Zimbabwe are more pronounced now than before in as far as one can recollect.

Income inequality promotes education inequalities

As an entry point, Zimbabwe is faced with various challenges which are political, social, economic as well as climatic. However, the Southern African country is known for the economic malaise that characterised the past decade to date as citizens continue to hope for the better. The biting cash crunch, high unemployment rate coupled with the historic hyperinflation deteriorated citizens’ socioeconomic outlook, putting it bluntly, ordinary citizens are languishing in extreme poverty. It is critical to note that the socioeconomic woes bedeviling the country are man-made as the country has had no taste of good governance for the past decade and this gave birth to an ailing economy without hopes for resuscitation in the near future. Poor governance cultivated an enabling ground for the breeding of organised corruption and the cancer has spread in every sector, eating away Zimbabwe’s potential to reclaim its “breadbasket” status. Findings in the 2018 Auditor General’s Report bears testimony to this.

Due to its destructive nature, poor governance has not spared public service delivery which is in a deplorable state, undermining the dignity of citizens despite the Constitution providing for effective public service delivery. Effective social service delivery is not only important in ensuring that citizens have access to basic social services like education, health, water and sanitation but also helps in bridging the ever-widening inequality gap between the haves and the have nots. This is however not the case with Zimbabwe as the enjoyment of public services by citizens is slowly being turned from a right into a privilege. This is reflected in the way government and other responsible authorities’ handle issues of public service delivery. Water is now a precious commodity, public hospitals are now “death traps”, infrastructure is dilapidated, talk of the once enviable education system which is now in tatters with only a privileged few capable to access quality education.

Hyperinflation against stagnant salaries has detrimentally eroded people’s disposable incomes such that most parents are finding it difficult to make ends meet and afford their children some education. Income inequality in Zimbabwe is promoting inequalities in education at various levels. The parent’s level of income determines the quality of school hence the parent’s ability to afford children quality education rests upon the availability of financial resources. Thus, family income has become the principal screening factor in the education sector. Opening of the 2020 academic year in Zimbabwe exposed worrying influence that income inequality has on the nature of education a Zimbabwean child can attain. The privatisation of education in Zimbabwe is now a lucrative business which further separated the rich from the poor. It is regrettable how standards in public education institutions have tremendously gone down and this has seen the financially abled parents resorting to private schools for quality services. What then is in store for the poor. During the week of opening the first academic term in 2020, social media was awash with Riverton Academy (based in Masvingo) cash receipts carrying payments of school fees worth one hundred and six thousand Zimbabwean dollars (ZW$106 000). On the contrary, a picture of an adult man who was caught with stolen stationery was circulated on the same platforms. Various sentiments were aired in relation to these posts but very few discussions if any were made in relation to how this was an evidence of the deeply entrenched inequalities in education. Clearly, that was no laughing matter as it showed the extent to which income disparities can affect different children’s access to quality education.

Public education schools are characterised by lack of standardized facilities and educational materials and in some cases shortage of teachers resulting in unfavorable teacher to student ratio. This compromises the quality of education offered resulting in parents who cannot afford private schools being left with no option but to send their children there. This has also been exacerbated by the hikes in school fees with families finding it difficult to afford all the required educational needs. Private schools with better facilities have remained a preserve of the few with a better socioeconomic status. The inequality manifests itself as there is no equal access to quality education between those who attend public schools and those who go to private schools.

The inequality gets more pronounced between an urban and rural child. The majority of families in rural areas have no financial capacity to send children to boarding schools as such in most parts of the country’s rural areas. Children in rural areas are subjected to pathetic learning conditions such as students learn from under trees or sub-standard structures and are forced to walk unimaginable distances to and from school. What it means is that these children are not exposed to the same education as their counterparts in urban areas.

This having been noted, the most worrying part is the fact that pupils cannot reach their full potential when denied equal educational opportunities. Education greatly influences one’s personal development and the children’s eventual position in the socioeconomic ladder. It is therefore critical for the government of Zimbabwe to address these educational inequalities through finding ways of ensuring quality education to all. The International Monetary Fund economists have described income inequalities as the ‘defining challenge of our time’, thus it is imperative for the government to address the macroeconomic fundamentals to address the income inequalities which promote educational disparities.

As healthcare soars, the inequality gap widens

By Charles Kautare

“Pregnant woman dies of negligence at Parirenyatwa.” This was one of the most disturbing headlines carried by The Herald on 5 September 2019 as it was reported that a pregnant woman died together with the child at Parirenyatwa Hospital allegedly due to negligence by medical staff manning the maternity ward. It is frightening that the unfortunate incident happened at one of the biggest public hospitals in Zimbabwe. What then do we make of public health service delivery in a country aiming at becoming an Upper-Middle Income Economy 10 years from now? The story was not only heart-breaking but signaled the extent of inequality in the country’s health sector as no case of any member of the elite cluster was reported to have died at a local hospital due to negligence. The inequalities can be highlighted by the circumstances surrounding the death of the former president, Robert Mugabe who took his last breath in a world-class Gleneagles hospital in Singapore yet the poor die at local “death traps.” Currently, some government officials are criticised for seeking medical attention in foreign lands instead of them resolving the ills associated with the sector at home.

As the 1% of the world population is gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum, Zimbabweans must reflect on the inequalities in the country’s health sector. The current healthcare delivery system in Zimbabwe leaves a lot to be desired. The Southern African country’s health sector is in limbo, characterised by a shortage of drugs and basic medical necessities like gloves as well as incapacitation of the medical personnel that has witnessed an unresolved impasse between the government and public hospitals medical doctors. There exists a widening gap between the rich and the poor in terms of access to quality healthcare such that the former, because of their financial and mostly political muscle can access world-class healthcare even for a simple procedure such as a blood pressure check outside the country whilst an ordinary poor citizen is left to die at public hospitals.

It is regrettable how the poor and the marginalised are succumbing to treatable and Stone Age diseases like cholera and typhoid due to the dilapidated state of the public health delivery system. Maladministration coupled with corruption has not spared the sector and this can be exemplified by the recently exposed rot at the country’s drug procurement and supply entity, National Pharmaceutical Company (Natpharm) where for instance drugs meant for public consumption were diverted for private gains at the expense of the poor.

PPPs not ideal for the health sector

Despite the commonness of Public-Private Partnerships in the health sector across the globe, their effectiveness is yet to be realised in as far as Zimbabwe is concerned. The most worrying issue is that the initiative is perpetuating inequalities in the health sector to the extent that the poor are finding it difficult to access basic essential services that would have been put under private care. A case in point is the privatisation of medical services at Chitungwiza Central Hospital, where almost all the essential services at the hospital were privatised, for instance, mortuary services are now run by Doves, pharmacy and radiology services are run by Baines Hospital. To what extent does Chitungwiza Hospital remain a public hospital when the critical services are left in the hands of private players to the detriment of the poor who are wallowing in abject poverty and cannot afford these services? The argument that PPPs enrich the capacity, quality and reach of public health services, therefore, remains a fallacy.

The fight against inequality must never be a once-off endeavor but a never-ending process in our lifetime and for generations to come until responsible authorities and everyone else appreciates the fact that equality is a virtue for human existence. A healthy nation is a productive one. It is therefore critical for the Government of Zimbabwe to put in place policies and measures to resuscitate the ailing health sector to ensure that quality healthcare is guaranteed to all and sundry in line with Chapter 4, Section 76 of the Constitution. If the inequalities in the health sector are not addressed at national levels across the globe, Sustainable Development Goal 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages will remain a pipe dream.

Gweru Residents take Local Authority to Task over AG’s Report

Gweru City Council has said corrupt officials and central government are to blame for poor and substandard service delivery to residents and has promised to change the structures and systems in managing public finances.

Speaking at a Public Finance Management Reform Indaba facilitated by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) in Gweru on the 9^th of August 2019 to deliberate on the findings of the 2018 Auditor General’s Report, Gweru City Council Mayor, His Worship Josiah Makombe, who is also the President of the Urban Councillors Association of Zimbabwe, said local authorities are not operating well and sanity is needed urgently even at central government level to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public funds. He added that if the government would politically commit to decisively curb corruption by promoting principles and practices of efficient public finance management, then there would be efficient social services delivery. Gweru City Council Chairperson, Clr. Albert Chirau, echoed the same sentiments saying corruption and poor quality services starts at government level and should be addressed from there to make it efficient to tackle the same at local level as the same central corrupt system has penetrated local authorities crowding out local decision makers from the affairs of the authorities.

His Worship Makombe emphasised that corruption was endemic in our society and has contributed to the demise of efficient service delivery at Gweru City Council and he promised that the current council will not be accomplices in depriving citizens of their rights through corrupt tendencies. For this reason, the Gweru City Council formed the Committee of Inquiry on Service Delivery to look at ways of improving the quality of service delivery in Gweru, reflect from past experiences and practices and came up with recommendations and timelines. Stakeholders were shocked to hear that Gweru City Council owes Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) an estimated US$29 million compared to the US$14 million pointed out in the 2018 OAG’s Report. The City Council also owes a total of US$861,136 to Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and US$652,777 in statutory fees to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA). There are no supporting documents for salary creditors amounting to over 14.6 million.

Gweru Urban Member of Parliament, Hon. Brian Dube, said that the empowerment and autonomy of local authorities would only be attained through the just and fair implementation of Section 14 of the Constitution which speaks to devolution. He also added that,“The crippling of Gweru is due to corrupt mechanisms in the allocation and disbursement of funds. The Members of Parliament for Gweru intervened as policy makers to get US$440,000 from government for the purchase of water pumps to ensure improved water supply in the city. As duty bearers, we call upon and lobby for a performance measurement framework in public institutions to ensure sound public finance management system.”

The Director for Gweru Residents Forum, Charles Mazorodze said that systematic challenges at GCC are affecting service delivery. He specifically highlighted that over US$775000 was diverted from servicing residential stands in Mkoba 21 to paying salaries and allowances to council workers, according to the OAG’s Report. On the broader national context, the 2018 OAG’s Report unearthed gross misuse of public finances especially non-supported transactions by local authorities, parastatals and ministries. It was recommended that Gweru City Council commit to the implementing the recommendations provided for by the Commission of Inquiry on Social Services Delivery as well as capacitate the established District Development Committees to ensure that the province is ready for effective implementation of devolution mandates.

The Auditor General’s 2018 Report – A reflection of how citizens are prejudiced of their socioeconomic rights

Despite the clarity of Chapter 17 of the Zimbabwe’s Constitution in the protection of public funds, the 2018 Auditor General’s Report revealed shocking figures of missing and unaccounted for taxpayers’ money. The money earmarked for development but never reached the intended beneficiary, with some money never disbursed to relevant ministries further impoverishing citizens. Accordingly, it is the duty of the state to promote, protect and fulfill the rights of its citizens. Nevertheless, a Constituency Indaba held in Mpopoma-Pelandaba revealed otherwise as communities in this day and age are still using public toilets in the midst of water shortages. These toilets are in a dilapidated state, further to that, some public toilets have been closed due to lack of funding for cleaning services. Furthermore, beer halls and other social amenities which were revenue sources for the council have been privatized and are now turned into night clubs.

The question is “Why is the council failing to sustain and manage its properties given the vast sources of income? lminyela is one of the oldest suburbs in Bulawayo which was initially an army barrack characterized by single quarters. As years went by, the houses were donated to the City of Bulawayo for occupation by residents initially for single families. According to the city bylaws then, when families grew they were moved to suburbs that accommodated more family members. However, as the population and the demand for housing increased, the economic situation deteriorated, the population grew and outgrew the ablution services provided. This has left communities in a dire situation having to share toilets and bathrooms despite that fact that this puts communities at risk of cholera and any other diseases borne out of erratic water cuts. Efforts to decongest the area have been fruitless since housing projects continue to be privatized and unaffordable for the general citizenry. Some residents of Iminyela and Mabutweni reported that they have been on the housing list since1980 but have not benefited to date they are still paying annual housing list subscriptions. .”Pelandaba west community which was initially slated to decongest the Iminyela and Mabutweni was sold to a private housing developer”, one resident said. Residents demanded accountability for their moneythey have been paying whilst waiting for houses.

Residents also fumed against the mismanagement of funds and flouting of tender processes as the main causes of delayed development and called for monitoring mechanisms on public resource utilisation. Mabutweni residents argued that Parliament has failed to protect the taxpayers’ money earmarked for development hence there is need for citizens to stand up and demand accountability for their hard earned money.

Action Points

Council to prioritise the right to water and sanitation in Mpopoma-Pelandaba Constituency.
Councillors to follow up community retention fees from recreational facilities in the constituency.
Government to restore the feeding schemes at schools as most families continue to lose jobs due to the harsh economic situation.
Government to have a deliberate policy on protection of the housing list.

Penhalonga: A typical case of the Natural Resource Curse

Located in the mineral rich Manicaland Province, Penhalonga boasts of massive gold deposits stretching from the banks of the huge Odzani river, through the impoverished growth point of Watsomba to the dusty streets of Tsvingwe, which since 1898 has been the extractive base for theLondon based mining conglomerate, Metallon Gold Mines, whose subsidiary is Redwing Mine. Redwing Mine itself has been shrouded in controversy over the years changing names on different occasions. For a considerable period of time it was referred to as King’s Daughter Mine and currently it is operating as Redwing Mine. In some quarters, it is argued that the change of names is part of the aggressive tax avoidance schemes used by multinational corporations to avoid paying taxes in a country that offer tax holidays.

It is ironic that Penhalonga remains one of the poor and marginalised communities in Manicaland despite it being the hub of Manicaland’s timber industry. These timber plantations are owned mostly owned by large scale companies whilst locals, in particular young people, cannot venture into the timber business due to huge capital requirements. In this context, youth in Penhalonga watch their environment destroyed through massive deforestation and air pollution. Penhalonga therefore is a typical case of the “natural resource curse” as the community is confronted by high levels of poverty, high rate of youth unemployment and economic misery despite the existence of gold and timber in the community. In addition to these, social vices are rising with commercial sex work being an emerging social challenge emanating from the growing artisanal small-scale mining (ASM).

The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) and the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) conducted a District Alternative Mining Indaba (DAMI) in the resource rich area of Penhalonga. The DAMI is a platform for local communities to meet, cross-pollinate ideas on mining activities and map a sustainable way forward in terms of action plans towards the Provincial Mining Indaba. DAMIs are coming at an opportune time when Zimbabwe is placing emphasis on mining to attract foreign direct investment. With the mining sector failing to cater for the socio-economic needs of the Penhalonga community, residents and artisanal small-scale miners at the DAMI expressed dismay and distress at the level in which the availability of gold and timber has failed to transform their material conditions. For the past 100 years, the Penhalonga community has nothing to show in terms of infrastructural development, decent work creation, community beneficiation and participation in the mining value chain.

As the country is embracing the “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra it is crucial for the government to take into cognisance that supporting ASMs and small-scale timber producers is necessary for both community and national economic development.

Citizen participation, a vital cog for effective governance

Chapter 17 of the 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution is the bedrock of public finance management in the country as it lays the framework for protecting public funds. Nevertheless, despite the existence of constitutional guiding principles for public finance management (PFM), the current national and local budgeting and expenditure processes are a disapointment to the citizens as highlighted by the successive Auditor Generals’ reports.

The PFM Reform Indaba held at Bulawayo Club on the 11^th September 2019 focusing on unpacking the national budget process and was attended by city fathers, representatives from the civil society and residents’ associations saw vibrant discussions around why budgeting is ineffective in Zimbabwe. Bulawayo residents hold the view that rampant corruption in the country’s governing institutions from local to national level is the reason behind poor budgeting. They added that this has directly contributed to the deplorable state of public service delivery. Ineffective budgeting has also been attributed to poor governance and misappropriation of funds, lack of transparency and accountability at the Bulawayo City Council evidenced by failure by the city fathers to submit end of year financial reports as alluded to in the 2018 Auditor General’s Report findings. Bulawayo residents are concerned about the manner in which budget consultative meetings are conducted. They indicated that the consultative processes are rushed as there is no enough lead time for citizens to input their aspirations. As if that is not enough, the consultations are characterised by inaccessible venues by people with disabilities, long distance travelling against the backdrop of high transport costs affecting effective citizen participation.

Due to the above-mentioned shortcomings, citizens fail to inform and influence the national budget priorities both at local and national levels yet active citizen engagement and participation is key in responsive budgeting and economic governance. A representative from the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association said the challenge with effective budgeting is that as citizens, “We have been programmed to politicise everything hence we cannot hold our local councils and central government to account. The predicament we find ourselves in as Zimbabweans is that the budgeting process has been heavily politicized. It is seen to speak to positions of power where those in power are using their power to determine who gets what and when. They are only looking at how they can retain power and that informs why more resources are allocated to other sectors such as security at the expense of developmental and social welfare issues.”

Disgruntled residents at the Indaba noted that through civil society interventions and other efforts, Bulawayo residents managed to attend budget consultations and presented their views and made submissions in terms of their priorities. However, after consultations , it is depressing to note that the central government totally ignores people’s submissions and allocate more resources to the security sector for instance, a sector which has nothing to do with improving the welfare of its people yet is the duty of the state to promote, protect and fulfil the social and economic rights of its citizens. Examples of priority areas which have been ignored from the past budget consultations include the Matabeleland Zambezi water project meant to eradicate water shortages bedeviling the city of Bulawayo.

Action points

Citizens need to participate in council meetings and other public meetings to influence budgets & development.

There is need for adoption of a people-centered approach to budgeting

In addition, there is need for adopting a result-based approach to budgeting where critical budget review is done to inform future allocations and distribution of resources as well as learning and improving on outcomes.

Depoliticization of the management of public finances is long overdue to ensure that all perpetrators of corruption regardless of one’s political affiliation are brought to book.

Depoliticize the judiciary system and restore confidence in Zimbabwe’s governance systems.

There is therefore an urgent need for stronger mechanisms to ensure effective fiscal transparency and the starting point would be effective and efficient budgetary systems for progressive realization of citizens’ social and economic rights in Zimbabwe.

Building Champions for Social Accountability Monitoring Among Gweru and Bulawayo Tertiary Students

At the heart of social accountability is the social contract between the government and its citizen’s. by virtue of paying taxes, citizens enter into a social contract with the government. As such, social accountability is when citizens hold duty bearers to account on the use pf public resources to ensure fiscal transparency and accountability towards national development. Social accountability ensures efficiency and prudency in the expenditure of public resources. Subsequently, effective use of public finances translates into effective public service delivery.

The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development believes that social accountability is a critical component for the realisation of fiscal transparency. To that effect, ZIMCODD conducted two Social Accountability Monitoring Seminars in Bulawayo on the 16^th of September attended by students from Lupane State University, National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo Polytechnic, Hillside Teachers College and UCE and on the 17^th, in Gweru which drew students from Midlands State University, Mkoba Teachers College and Gweru Polytechnic. The Bulawayo seminar largely focused on understanding social accountability monitoring, advocacy areas and social accountability techniques. On the other hand, the seminar in Gweru largely focused on Constitutional rights awareness with particular emphasis on socio-economic rights guaranteed as guaranteed in Chapter 4 of the Constitution.

The social accountability monitoring seminars were a platform for ZIMCODD to execute its mandate to invest in tertiary institution students towards the fight for social and economic justice in a country characterised by unjust socioeconomic systems. Thus, the seminars conscientised youth who were ignorant of the fact that it is the government’s mandate to guarantee them clean, safe and portable water, access to education, healthcare and other basic rights. Additionally, the platform also gave the students an insight on their right as citizens to hold duty bearers to account on the use of public finances.

Key take-aways:

Poor sanitary wear disposal in ladies’ rest rooms at Lupane State University is a ticking health time bomb as it can go for up to a week without been disposed off.

At Lupane State University, there is limited time to access the library as it closes the same time lectures end and this is a hindrance to students’ researches.

At Bulawayo Polytechnic, registration and clearing processes are very difficult to conduct as lecturers responsible are hard to locate. As such, in extreme cases students end up looking for lecturers at their homes in order for them to clear or register.

Furthermore, Bulawayo Polytechnic Students highlighted that the institution does not have sufficient furniture to carter for all students. Consequently, students move furniture from one room to another disrupting the flow of learning. This is on top of a small library that cannot accommodate many students and this is problematic during exam time.

NUST students expressed disgruntlement over non-attendance by lecturers during the first weeks of opening. In addition, they expressed distress over inadequate accommodation for students yet the institution up scaled its enrolment. This has left students highly vulnerable to landlords that overcharge them.

Students from Hillside Teachers College stated that their institution has three buses that students pay for but the buses only ferry lecturers and not the students that finance the operational costs of the buses.

Gweru Teachers college expressed with concern lack of academic freedom at the institution. A case in point was, for the students to attend a basic social accountability monitoring seminar, they had to write a letter to the institution stating the reason for their attendance. Furthermore, the students complained about the acute shortages of water at the institution.

Midlands State University students noted with concern the inadequate and inefficient transport services provided for students. Zvishavane campus is served by one bus without a door yet it has a total population of plus or minus 4 000 students.

Conclusion

Students the world over are known for being champions for good governance, democracy and the upliftment of the poor. Zimbabwean students today have a massive task on their shoulders to lead society in a social struggle for a better, transparent and accountable public finance management system. Society expects students as leading intellectuals to take a leading role in disseminating information on social and economic rights and the national constitution provisions on public finance management in the country.

As the 2020 budget consultations beckon, calls for earnest citizen participation heightens

“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value.” Joe Biden

Joe Biden’s remarks bears testimony to the importance of budgeting both at local and national level. The national budget is the anchor for any country’s developmental programmes, not only because it sets out how resources will be mobilised and allocated but because it is a crucial instrument that sets out the country’s developmental priorities. What therefore it means is that citizen participation through consultation meetings becomes very crucial in the national budget formulation process. The drafting stage of the budget ensures that citizens input their aspirations and their developmental preferences even at local level. Nevertheless, in the case of Zimbabwe, perennially, national budget consultations have been characterised by apathy due to the reasons mentioned below, and this is not favourable for a shared national development agenda.

Zimbabwe is characterised by poor economic governance exacerbated; poor and ineffective public finance management characterised and misplaced priorities on the side of public resources allocation both at local and national level. A national budget either promotes or negates sustainable national economic development due to a number of factors including the aspect of misplaced priorities. Poor public service delivery in the country is attributed to the question of misplaced priorities in terms of resource allocation by the government.

National budget is an instrument through which the government raise and allocate financial resources for the delivery of public services. It is an essential tool that when effectively formulated and implemented, facilitate socio-economic development and ensures the progressive realisation of fundamental social and economic rights as provided for in Chapter 4 of the Zimbabwean Constitution and as codified in the United Nations Convention on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights of which Zimbabwe is a signatory to.

Citizen Participation in National Budget Process is a Constitutional Right

Citizens in their different groups or as individuals have a responsibility to participate in the crafting of local and national budgets. The importance of citizen participation in economic governance like the budget making process is reinforced by Section 3(2) (a) of the Zimbabwean Constitution which states that the state must respect the people of Zimbabwe from whom the authority to govern is derived. In this context when citizens participate in formulating a budget at any level, they are re-emphasising the importance of the power they possess to determine the course through which local and national development takes.

Zimbabwe’s economic spectrum struggles with disturbing levels of citizen apathy when it comes to their participation in budget making processes. Be it at local or national level, citizens have generally expressed a lack of interest in budget making processes in the country. Part of the cause of apathy as to why citizens are not attending budget consultative meetings is because their views and aspirations are not captured in the final budget statement itself. Part of the apathy at local level comes from the fact that local authorities do not exercise transparency and accountability in terms of availing their accounting records for public scrutiny to ensure public trust.

A need for a different approach.

National budget consultative meetings are characterized by poor citizen participation and part of the apathy comes from the fact that if citizens do participate, their views are not incorporated in the final budget and subsequently this discourages future citizen engagements. It was noted that the public hearings are not done in earnest rather they are conducted in a “window dressing” manner for procedural processes. Zimbabwe’s existing Public Finance Management Act does not provide for a specific date as to when the national budget is supposed to be presented. This is problematic and flawed. Citizens need to participate in pre-budget consultative meetings that are not rushed but properly planned, popularised and conveniently done at places accessible to both the able and disabled in society.

Since the national budget concerns itself with income and wealth distribution as well as prescribing macroeconomic policies for the stabilisation and growth of the economy, it is essential for pre-budget consultative meetings to be organised in more inclusive and efficient manner. As a new way, youth, women, people with disabilities and other societal groups must from ward level have separate pre-budget consultative meetings that can go for two months or more prior to consultations. This will help citizens to take their time in inputting what they want to be captured in the national budget and making sure that the state’s priorities reflect the developmental aspirations of the ordinary citizen.

The present model of pre-budget meetings that just rushes through the process and does not cover each and every ward in the country is not democratic and is clearly inconsistent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that speak of “leaving no one behind,” in the development process. There is no ample time to effectively conduct budget consultations as this process is always done as a last minute rush. This explains why citizens’ views are not adequately captured and incorporated in the final budget. That, Local authorities do not fully participate in the formulation of the Budget Strategy Paper and this compromises both local and national development.

The alternative and democratic budget making process that is inclusive and hinged on the principles of good budgeting is long overdue if Zimbabwe is to attain the upper middle income status by 2030. Best practices in budget making processes include mid-term fiscal planning, gender responsive budgeting, pro-poor budgeting that focuses on human development for instance ensuring that more funds are allocated to sectors which improve the socioeconomic outlook of citizens, inward looking industrialisation to facilitate productivity and job creation and a clear monitoring and evaluation framework comprehensive to an ordinary citizen.

That the Parliament of Zimbabwe is not adequately resourced to conduct nationwide budget consultation meetings, rather they, in many cases, conduct them in major towns and cities. Therefore, both the geographical and demographic coverage of the consultative meetings by the Parliament is not enough. This is regrettable and evident in the schedule for the upcoming 2020 national budget consultations.

These are some of the highlights of the deliberations made during the Public Finance Management Reform Indaba convened by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) in Gweru and Mutare during the week ending 13 September 2019 with specific focus on citizen participation in national budget processes. The main objective of the interface was to interrogate the current national budgeting frameworks and proffer recommendations on how to enhance citizen participation.

Mbare breathes fire on corruption and political polarisation

Mbare residents said corruption within the local government and the high level of political polarization in the community is the major hindrance towards the development of their constituency.

Speaking at a Constituency Indaba facilitated by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) in Mbare at Mai Musodzi Hall on the 24^th of September 2019, Mbare residents lamented that a lot of revenue supposed to develop Mbare is lost through corruption. They reiterated that the case of Mbare is a microcosm of macrocosm as corruption has also led to the underdevelopment of Zimbabwe at large.

Despite the residents of Mbare paying rates to the local authority, poor service delivery to residents is a cause for concern where refuse collection is not regularly done. Skip bins are overflowing with litter messing the environment thus denying the Mbare community their right to a clean environment provided for in Section 73 of the Zimbabwean Constitution. As if that is not enough, the community is also deprived of clean and potable water which again is in contravention of Section 77 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which grants every citizen right to clean, safe and potable water.

One resident lamented the dilapidated status of Mbare Musika terminus despite huge sums of revenue collected from there on a daily basis. The terminus doesn’t have structures to shelter travelers waiting for transport and also there is no information to guide especially those new to the area. “Public transport operators pay money each time they use the terminus and if we are to calculate the number of buses that use the terminus per day, there is a lot of revenue collected, funds which are supposed to develop the terminus but there are no sheds for passengers, where is the money going? Who is benefitting from that money? charged one resident.

Furthermore, residents bemoaned lack of a transparent market revenue collection mechanism as payments are said to be made to individuals instead of council offices as unidentified individuals move around requesting for monthly rates for the market stalls and if one questions them on who they are, one’s market stall is forcefully taken away by the unidentified personalities. This is hindering development in Mbare as the funds are used by individuals for personal interests rather than by the Council towards community development. Mbare community questioned where these people derive their authority from because even if they are reported to the police, no course of action is taken against these perpetrators. “Who is giving these people the authority to throw away people from their market stalls? If you report them to the police, you will meet them in the streets, showing they are backed-up by a powerful someone who is within the Council or government structures”, reported residents.

It was also highlighted that market stalls are distributed along political lines which see those without political affiliations getting nothing. He went on further to say that when policy makers call for a meeting, some residents do not attend on the basis that the Councilor or Member of Parliament does not belong to their political party. He urged fellow residents to switch off from the election mode and set aside their political differences and have unity of purpose for the betterment of the entire community.

The community also complained that there are some hidden political agendas behind the closure of Mupedzanhamo Market whenever there is burial of a declared national hero. They said Mupedzanhamo is the backbone of Mbare community productivity. “We are stopped from going to work without our consent on each time a hero is being laid to rest. Our spot of productivity in Mbare, Mupedzanhamo market, and this disturbs the flow of household income as most households live from hand to mouth and skipping one day from trading means the households will not have a meal.

Public properties including council halls, bars and buildings are being operated by people from outside Mbare and are not benefiting the people of Mbare as they are supposed to. The beerhalls are alleged to be leased to political tycoons from outside Mbare yet according to by-laws they are not supposed to be leased to individuals within the Mbare community to enhance local content development. Council officers are allegedly receiving bribes in order to lease these structures to outsiders, even most of the employees in these beerhalls are not from Mbare. “From their name, public houses it is self-explanatory that they are owned by the public hence they are supposed to plough back to the public” one resident said. He further said, some of the properties are being run by council workers who are not paying rates and rentals to the council despite the profits they make.