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Transport Ministry hit by high staff turnover

by Staff reporter
2 hrs ago | 60 Views
Harare, 3 October 2025 - The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development is grappling with a severe staffing crisis, with more than 30% of posts - including managerial and technical positions - lying vacant, a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee has revealed.

The findings are contained in the committee's report on the ministry's 2024 quarterly budget performance, which highlighted the exodus of workers due to unattractive conditions of service and poor working environments.

According to the report, the ministry has an approved establishment of 1 785 workers, but by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, 536 vacancies had been recorded - translating to a 30% vacancy rate. The gaps span top and middle management, supervisory staff, engineers, and operational personnel.

The committee attributed the high staff turnover to limited funding, an ongoing job evaluation exercise, and low morale within the ministry. While Treasury approved measures to cushion the impact - including filling 76 vacant posts, engaging contract workers, and providing 59 engineers with vehicles and fuel - the shortage remains critical.

Budget allocations were also flagged as a major concern. The ministry's budget was revised from ZiG140.5 million to ZiG4.6 billion in 2024, with 93% directed toward roads, while only 4% went to policy and administration, 3% to rail and aviation, and a negligible 0.003% to inland water infrastructure. About 82.8% of the budget was committed to capital spending, leaving little for human resources.

The committee has recommended that all vacant posts be filled by December 31, 2025, and urged the ministry to adopt a gender-sensitive recruitment policy to ensure equal representation of women across all levels.

It further called for a review of budget allocations to allow a fairer distribution across the transport sector and stressed the need to allocate at least 10% of the budget to infrastructure maintenance by September 30, 2025.

"Preventive maintenance is far more cost-effective than reactive repairs. Prioritising it will safeguard Zimbabwe's investment in infrastructure for future generations," the report noted.

Source - newsday
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