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Zimbabwe govt cuts luxury vehicle purchases, tightens foreign travel
15 hrs ago |
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The Government has announced sweeping cost-containment measures targeting the procurement of luxury vehicles and excessive foreign travel by public officials, as part of efforts to ease pressure on the National Budget and redirect resources towards critical national priorities.
The measures are outlined under the Expenditure Rationalisation pillar of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and are aimed at strengthening fiscal discipline, eliminating wasteful spending and improving the efficiency of public resource utilisation.
Treasury says the reforms will free up resources for key sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and social services, which have been constrained by rising recurrent expenditure.
"During NDS2, Government will adopt measures to reduce unnecessary and wasteful public expenditure through significantly curtailing spending on non-essential items such as procurement of luxury vehicles and excessive foreign travel by Government officials," reads the policy document.
"Government recognises that such expenditures place an unsustainable burden on the National Budget and divert resources away from critical areas such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and social services."
Under the new framework, strict guidelines will be introduced to limit the acquisition of Government vehicles to those deemed essential for service delivery and national development.
"As such, strict guidelines will be implemented to limit the acquisition of Government vehicles to only those essential for service delivery," the document states.
Foreign travel by public officials will also be tightly regulated, with approval granted only for trips that directly contribute to national development priorities.
"Similarly, foreign travel will be strictly regulated and authorised only when it directly contributes to national development priorities," reads the NDS2.
The Government says the reforms are designed not only to cut costs but also to enhance transparency, accountability and responsible use of public funds, while fostering a culture of discipline across all levels of the public sector.
Savings realised from the measures will be channelled towards programmes that improve the quality of life for Zimbabweans and support inclusive economic growth.
"By prioritising efficiency and eliminating wasteful spending, Government aims to redirect savings towards programmes that directly benefit the people of Zimbabwe and support inclusive economic growth," the document notes.
"The success of these reforms depends on collective discipline and commitment across all levels of Government and all public officials will be called upon to lead by example."
The expenditure rationalisation builds on earlier directives issued by President Mnangagwa following his re-election in 2023, in which he restricted unnecessary foreign travel by Cabinet Ministers and Permanent Secretaries.
Addressing his first Cabinet meeting after the election, President Mnangagwa warned that excessive travel abroad disrupts service delivery and Government operations.
"All members remain guided by the relevant circular on foreign travel," said the President.
"In this regard, no Minister and Permanent Secretary can both be out of the country at the same time, as this has negative implications on service delivery and general Government business."
He further stressed that foreign trips would only be sanctioned if they align with Zimbabwe's national priorities and Vision 2030.
"Travel outside the country will be strictly limited to those programmes which are of strategic importance and contribute to our country's national priorities," he said.
President Mnangagwa also urged senior Government officials to remain focused on people-centred policies, accelerating production and productivity, and ensuring the speedy completion of all projects and programmes initiated under the Second Republic.
"As the Executive arm of Government, our policies, programmes and projects should remain people-centred for an improved quality of life for all our people," he said.
"All projects and programmes embarked on during the first term of the Second Republic should be completed speedily. This calls for hard work and focus from all of you."
The measures are outlined under the Expenditure Rationalisation pillar of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and are aimed at strengthening fiscal discipline, eliminating wasteful spending and improving the efficiency of public resource utilisation.
Treasury says the reforms will free up resources for key sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and social services, which have been constrained by rising recurrent expenditure.
"During NDS2, Government will adopt measures to reduce unnecessary and wasteful public expenditure through significantly curtailing spending on non-essential items such as procurement of luxury vehicles and excessive foreign travel by Government officials," reads the policy document.
"Government recognises that such expenditures place an unsustainable burden on the National Budget and divert resources away from critical areas such as healthcare, education, infrastructure and social services."
Under the new framework, strict guidelines will be introduced to limit the acquisition of Government vehicles to those deemed essential for service delivery and national development.
"As such, strict guidelines will be implemented to limit the acquisition of Government vehicles to only those essential for service delivery," the document states.
Foreign travel by public officials will also be tightly regulated, with approval granted only for trips that directly contribute to national development priorities.
"Similarly, foreign travel will be strictly regulated and authorised only when it directly contributes to national development priorities," reads the NDS2.
The Government says the reforms are designed not only to cut costs but also to enhance transparency, accountability and responsible use of public funds, while fostering a culture of discipline across all levels of the public sector.
Savings realised from the measures will be channelled towards programmes that improve the quality of life for Zimbabweans and support inclusive economic growth.
"The success of these reforms depends on collective discipline and commitment across all levels of Government and all public officials will be called upon to lead by example."
The expenditure rationalisation builds on earlier directives issued by President Mnangagwa following his re-election in 2023, in which he restricted unnecessary foreign travel by Cabinet Ministers and Permanent Secretaries.
Addressing his first Cabinet meeting after the election, President Mnangagwa warned that excessive travel abroad disrupts service delivery and Government operations.
"All members remain guided by the relevant circular on foreign travel," said the President.
"In this regard, no Minister and Permanent Secretary can both be out of the country at the same time, as this has negative implications on service delivery and general Government business."
He further stressed that foreign trips would only be sanctioned if they align with Zimbabwe's national priorities and Vision 2030.
"Travel outside the country will be strictly limited to those programmes which are of strategic importance and contribute to our country's national priorities," he said.
President Mnangagwa also urged senior Government officials to remain focused on people-centred policies, accelerating production and productivity, and ensuring the speedy completion of all projects and programmes initiated under the Second Republic.
"As the Executive arm of Government, our policies, programmes and projects should remain people-centred for an improved quality of life for all our people," he said.
"All projects and programmes embarked on during the first term of the Second Republic should be completed speedily. This calls for hard work and focus from all of you."
Source - The Herald
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