News / National
Zimbabwe govt officials burn $10 million on foreign travel
30 Aug 2012 at 05:18hrs | Views
Zimbabwe foreign travel costs accrued by government officials amounted to $10 million against a budget of $12, 6 million for the second quarter ending June 30.
According to the Accountant General's Consolidated Statement of Financial Performance, travel costs incurred by globe-trotting government bureaucrats between April and June were under the budget.
Biti in his Mid-Year Fiscal Year Review announced austerity measures in government, including cutting foreign travel, saying government revenue had reached a "plateau" owing to trickling inflows from the sale of diamonds.
The measures included a general freeze on public service employment and planned measures to keep the foreign travel expenses under check.
"Expenditures on foreign travel remain disproportionate to expenditures on more essential services such as health, education, social protection, infrastructure development and support to agriculture," Biti said then.
Last year, President Robert Mugabe, who is currently in Iran to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit, overshot his travel budget by 133% in the first half of the year, chewing $5 million more than his annual travel allocation of $15 million.
Mugabe's relatively high travel expenses were worsened by his huge entourage which averages about 80 people on each trip.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputies also chewed $3,7 million, more than 64 % of the $5 million annual travel budget allocated to his office in the first half of 2011.
Biti, when presenting the Mid-Year Fiscal Review last month, said principals in the inclusive government had supported cost-containing measures such as forward purchase of air tickets to cut the foreign travel bills.
According to the Accountant General's Consolidated Statement of Financial Performance, travel costs incurred by globe-trotting government bureaucrats between April and June were under the budget.
Biti in his Mid-Year Fiscal Year Review announced austerity measures in government, including cutting foreign travel, saying government revenue had reached a "plateau" owing to trickling inflows from the sale of diamonds.
The measures included a general freeze on public service employment and planned measures to keep the foreign travel expenses under check.
Last year, President Robert Mugabe, who is currently in Iran to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit, overshot his travel budget by 133% in the first half of the year, chewing $5 million more than his annual travel allocation of $15 million.
Mugabe's relatively high travel expenses were worsened by his huge entourage which averages about 80 people on each trip.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputies also chewed $3,7 million, more than 64 % of the $5 million annual travel budget allocated to his office in the first half of 2011.
Biti, when presenting the Mid-Year Fiscal Review last month, said principals in the inclusive government had supported cost-containing measures such as forward purchase of air tickets to cut the foreign travel bills.
Source - Newsday
