Chinotimba questions Impi funding

Information and Media Panel of Inquiry (Impi) has come under fire over allegations its panelists are getting ‘exorbitant' allowances at a time when government is failing to pay war veterans and lawmakers their salaries and allowances.

Buhera South legislator Joseph Chinotimba yesterday in parliament took deputy finance minister Samuel Undenge to task demanding to know who authorised the sitting allowances for the media panel, which he claimed were too high and unjustifiable.

"My question is  directed at the minister of Finance,  I understand there is  a panel  going around the country talking to people and that they are getting $300  sitting allowance  per day  per person when we, the war veterans, are not getting anything  from the government  to pay  our children's  school fees. Why is the government not paying attention to the welfare of war veterans who are entitled to receiving money from government  at  a time when it is paying  this committee such huge amounts? What is the source of this money (sic)?" Chinotimba asked.

Impi is a media panel headed by veteran journalist, Geoffrey Nyarota, tasked by government through the ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services to look into the state of the information and media sector in the country.

It has 28 panelists made up of  journalists, lawyers and experts in various fields.

The panel travelled countrywide conducting public hearings on issues affecting the information and media sector, among them, what the public would want to see in the media and what kind of content they would want to read or hear in newspapers, radios and televisions.

"Who does not know that there are no television signals in Tsholotsho and in my constituency Buhera? Who approved this money (sic)?" questioned Chinotimba.

In response, Undenge said he was not sure of the amount budgeted for the exercise, but was aware of the existence of the panel.

"I don't know the amount of money that has been paid to the committee, but what I know is that there is, indeed, a committee that is going around the country and is funded by treasury," he said.

"Government is aware of its obligations to take care of the welfare of the war veterans. Once funds are available we will pay them," he said.

But his response did not go down well with the lawmaker who said the deputy minister was ‘beating about the bush' and not responding to the question.

"I said  who is approving the money and what is its  source? It is different from the one used to pay war veterans?  Why is that committee getting this huge amount of money when even the members of the parliament have not been paid anything in terms of sitting allowances?" Chinotimba said to a huge applause from the floor.

"We will look into the issue and the responsible ministry will assist with answers to your questions," said Udenge.

Chinotimba gave evidence before one of Impi's outreach programmes in Harare.

Impi was appointed last December by the minister of Information, Jonathan Moyo.