LEADER of government business in Parliament and Justice
minister Ziyambi Ziyambi was yesterday grilled by opposition MPs over the
economic sense of slashing Zupco bus fares to 50 cents at a time fuel prices
have shot through the roof.
MDC Kadoma Central MP Muchineripi Chinyanganya asked
Ziyambi to explain government policy on bailing out ailing parastatals.
“It seems government takes pride in implementing policies
that bring parastatals to their knees and at the end they assume their debts at
the expense of the taxpayers. Can the minister explain how government slashed
Zupco fares from $1 to 50 cents, and whether they are subsidising the
parastatal,” Chinyanganya asked.
Ziyambi claimed it was the norm worldwide for governments
to subsidise public transport systems. Dzivarasekwa MP Edwin Mushoriwa then
asked him the logic behind slashing fares when the prices of fuel had been
increased to almost $5 from $3,38 per litre.
“When the fare was $1,50, we had a manual ticketing system.
The Higher Education minister Amon Murwira will explain the logic,” Ziyambi
said.
Murwira, who was acting for the Local Government minister,
said the Harare Institute of Technology had developed an efficient ticketing
system where passengers would purchase prepaid electronic cards.
“It makes customers to refrain from carrying cash to pay
for Zupco as they pay in advance, and it is efficient and according to our
calculations, Zupco can actually make profit at 50 cents, or even at 30 cents.
Transport in this country is overpriced and we are drawing through technology
to reduce it,” he said.
But Kwekwe Central MP Masango Matambanadzo (NPF) said the
minister’s statement on the card system was not satisfactory.
“People are very angry and some are now travelling on top
of buses because they are the cheapest. This Zupco card system is not different
from the Zesa pre-payment system because we pay for electricity in advance and
yet it is not available and so what guarantee do we have that the Zupco
services will be available always?” Matambanadzo queried.
Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Chidakwa then asked Ziyambi to
explain the changes in the interbank exchange rate, hikes in fuel prices and
prices of goods and services, which have now eroded workers’ salaries.
“I have spoken to Energy minister Fortune Chasi and he is
preparing a ministerial statement on the fuel sector and how government is
tackling leakages and he will present it in Parliament tomorrow (today),”
Ziyambi said.
“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe used to give foreign currency
at 1:1 rate, but some of them (fuel traders) diverted it, and instead of purchasing,
for example, 10 million litres, they would only bring five million litres and
there was pilferage and we cannot continue giving them money.” Newsday
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