Mthuli Ncube's 'Middle-Income' claim rubbished

The Assembly of Minorities (AM) has dismissed as false and misleading Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube's recent claim that Zimbabweans have attained middle-income status, arguing that the majority of citizens remain trapped in poverty and economic hardship.

The remarks follow Prof Ncube's address at the 2026 pre-budget seminar held in Bulawayo on November 5, where he claimed that "most Zimbabweans are now middle-income citizens," citing rising average daily spending, improved infrastructure, and what he described as "growing economic stability."

In a strongly worded response, AM Party leader Mudenda Chilumbo accused the minister of attempting to deceive the public for political gain, saying the situation on the ground sharply contradicts his claims.

"The minister is misleading Zimbabweans because, according to the World Bank, middle-income status refers to a country whose Gross National Income per capita lies between US$1 136 and US$4 465," said Chilumbo. "This is contrary to Zimbabwe, where teachers, nurses, and other public service workers, including pensioners, are receiving less than US$250 per month."

Chilumbo said the government's claims ignore the daily struggles faced by millions, including unreliable water supply, poor service delivery, and collapsing infrastructure in major cities such as Bulawayo and Harare.

"Many urban communities have gone for years without running water. How do you claim upper middle-income status under these circumstances?" he asked.

The AM leader said the situation was even more dire in rural areas, particularly in the country's most marginalised provinces.

"In places like Matabeleland North, South, and parts of Midlands, families still draw drinking water from open wells and rivers shared with wild animals and livestock. Schools remain trapped in the colonial era, without textbooks, furniture, or laboratories, and thousands of children learn under trees," he said.

Chilumbo also took aim at the state of Zimbabwe's healthcare system, describing it as a "death trap."

"Hospitals that are supposed to serve citizens as a public good remain death traps where patients must bring their own gloves, bandages, and medicine," he said. "Meanwhile, informal traders, who employ the majority of our citizens, continue to face harassment, spot fines, and arbitrary levies without any meaningful government support."

He said that while civil servants struggle to afford transport to work, many urban families rely on firewood for cooking, and rural clinics operate without electricity — conditions that hardly reflect middle-income living standards.

To illustrate his point, Chilumbo compared Zimbabwe to countries that have genuinely attained middle-income status.

"Botswana, for instance, has invested heavily in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Its average worker earns over US$800 per month, public hospitals are well-equipped, and electricity and water supply reach most households," he said. "Mauritius and Malaysia also provide free healthcare, modern infrastructure, and high per capita incomes — far beyond Zimbabwe's current state."

Chilumbo said the government's claim was nothing more than "propaganda meant to advance President Mnangagwa's ambitions to extend his tenure using state platforms."

He went further to accuse Prof Ncube of prioritising political loyalty over national interest, alleging that his loyalty to the President is aimed at shielding himself from past financial scandals.

"The AM party has strong evidence that Mthuli Ncube is not serving the interests of the people. He is serving his master, Emmerson Mnangagwa, so that he evades justice in connection with the Barbican Bank he owned, which duped Bulawayo residents of their hard-earned money," Chilumbo claimed.

The AM leader said the government's "middle-income narrative" was part of a broader effort to justify failed economic policies and mask worsening poverty levels.

"Zimbabwe cannot claim to have reached middle-income status when inflation remains high, workers are underpaid, hospitals are under-equipped, and millions live without basic services," said Chilumbo. "The government must stop insulting citizens with cooked-up statistics. We live this reality daily — no clean water, no jobs, no electricity, and collapsing infrastructure. That is not middle-income life. That is survival."