Zimbabwe abandons the poor

Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa has reneged on government's decades-old promise to implement pro-poor interventions, when he unveiled his $4 billion 2016 Budget last week.

The budget echoed previous statements, announced since dollarisation in 2009, which failed to combat worsening poverty and reignite economic recovery.

A scrutiny of the budget indicates that almost everything would be swallowed by administrative expenses and foreign travel by top civil servants.

Unlike previous budgets, the government has not catered for capital expenditure and social spending towards health, food, sanitation and education.