NCUBE ATTACKS BUDGET

The 2025 National Budget, presented under the theme “Building Resilience for Sustained Economic Transformation,” attempts to paint a picture of progress and recovery. However, as we unpack its core, it reveals glaring contradictions, misplaced priorities, and an alarming disconnect from the realities facing ordinary Zimbabweans. 

The government projects a 6% GDP growth for 2025, hinging on "normal to above-normal rainfall" and macroeconomic stability. Yet, this optimism ignores the deep-seated structural challenges in our economy—unsustainable public debt now standing at US$21.1 billion, weak institutions, and an economic environment marred by inflationary pressures and governance failures.

Defense spending is prioritized with an allocation of ZiG18 billion, dwarfing investments in critical sectors like agriculture, health, and education. At a time when citizens struggle with food insecurity and collapsing services, how does such militarization advance our development goals? Resilience cannot be built on fear—it requires investment in people.

ZiG28.3 billion for health and ZiG46.6 billion for education are encouraging allocations on the surface, but they fail to address underlying issues. Our rural schools remain in disrepair, healthcare workers are underpaid, and access to essential medicines is limited. These sectors demand bold reforms, not token gestures.

The climate crisis receives a mere ZiG516.8 million. For a nation heavily impacted by climate change, this is grossly inadequate. Resilience means more than words—it demands tangible investments in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and water management.

While new revenue measures, like the 10% withholding tax on betting winnings, aim to broaden the tax base, they target an overburdened populace without addressing corruption—a cancer that siphons billions from public coffers. Transparency and accountability remain elusive, leaving citizens to carry the weight of systemic failures.

This budget is a façade of ambition. Resilience, as framed here, is hollow without addressing the fundamental inequalities and inefficiencies within our system. Zimbabwe deserves leadership that prioritizes its people, tackles corruption head-on, and lays the groundwork for genuine transformation.

As the opposition, we stand firm in holding this government accountable. We will push for a people-centered approach to governance, one that moves beyond rhetoric to deliver real change. The future of Zimbabwe cannot rest on paper promises. It must be built with integrity, equity, and unwavering resolve. Prof was writing on X

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